I was contacted by a reporter at HuffPo today with the following questions. In general, my reply is – “These government people suck,” but here’s the full conversation:
Hi Michael, wanted to see if you can comment on the news that Dylann Roof was able to obtain his gun through a loophole in the national background check system. (Specifically, that he had a previously admitted drug possession, but those conducting the background check could not access it, and this might have prevented him from obtaining a firearm.)
Do you think this case indicates that there needs to be better data sharing in the background check system? Why or why not?
If not, how else do you recommend preventing such a shooting in the future?
Are you concerned that gun control advocates will use this case as political fodder to call for closing loopholes in the national background check system? If so, do you find that problematic?
My response:
I think this is another example of federal programs that fail. They promise to protect people, but something always seems to break down logistically, and the result is awful. In general, these government people suck at what they do.
The government shouldn’t be trusted with our privacy, and they shouldn’t be trusted to topple regimes in places like Iraq. They also shouldn’t be trusted to come up with solutions to protect us from murderers, especially when government police have killed hundreds of people, disproportionately from minority communities. So I wouldn’t trust a regime that lies, spies, and wages war to protect anyone.
