One of the more sensible ideas emerging from the political soap opera of gun control is requiring a background check for everyone who purchases a firearm. That’s a great idea, but can we trust the government to do this? Not because the feds might use the data for sinister purposes, as some gun owners fear, but because there’s a good chance the government will screw it up.
Some government information systems work pretty well, of course: My Social Security checks are deposited on time and I’m certain the IRS will catch me if fail to file a tax return. But there also are spectacular failures such as widespread fraud in welfare payments and millions in erroneous tax refunds to incarcerated felons.
The Navy’s computers can guide a cruise missile to demolish a bunker hundreds of miles away. Yet when I was in the Naval Reserve my unit’s paychecks were regularly delayed or scrambled by the Navy’s computerized pay system. Different computer, I hope.
My home state of New Mexico has chronic problems managing information. Every year or so some sort of computer glitch causes massive inconvenience to citizens or employees. Most recently a bungled transition to a new computer system delayed unemployment benefit payments for thousands of people. The state’s paper-based prison records have resulted in the early release of dangerous felons.
The private sector seems to do a better job of housebreaking its databases. Banks, utilities and retailers routinely handle millions of transactions and errors are relatively rare. When someone tried to use my credit card number to book a flight in London last year, the airline caught it and the credit card company took immediate action.
Private companies also are better than government agencies at sharing information. If I apply for a Discover card, the folks there will know whether I’ve missed any payments on my Visa card. Yet judges in New Mexico often are unaware that a defendant has prior convictions in the next county or is registered as a sex offender in another state. The State of New Mexico is having difficulty verifying the citizenship status of registered voters because of delays in getting information from the federal Department of Homeland Security.
People laughed when former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich suggested outsourcing the immigration database to American Express to reduce errors and fraud. But if the feds are serious about keeping criminals from buying firearms, this may be the best solution for universal background checks for gun purchases.
Background checks and American Express
One of the more sensible ideas emerging from the political soap opera of gun control is requiring a background check for everyone who purchases a firearm. That’s a great idea, but can we trust the government to do this? Not because the feds might use the data for sinister purposes, as some gun owners fear, but because there’s a good chance the government will screw it up.
Some government information systems work pretty well, of course: My Social Security checks are deposited on time and I’m certain the IRS will catch me if fail to file a tax return. But there also are spectacular failures such as widespread fraud in welfare payments and millions in erroneous tax refunds to incarcerated felons.
The Navy’s computers can guide a cruise missile to demolish a bunker hundreds of miles away. Yet when I was in the Naval Reserve my unit’s paychecks were regularly delayed or scrambled by the Navy’s computerized pay system. Different computer, I hope.
My home state of New Mexico has chronic problems managing information. Every year or so some sort of computer glitch causes massive inconvenience to citizens or employees. Most recently a bungled transition to a new computer system delayed unemployment benefit payments for thousands of people. The state’s paper-based prison records have resulted in the early release of dangerous felons.
The private sector seems to do a better job of housebreaking its databases. Banks, utilities and retailers routinely handle millions of transactions and errors are relatively rare. When someone tried to use my credit card number to book a flight in London last year, the airline caught it and the credit card company took immediate action.
Private companies also are better than government agencies at sharing information. If I apply for a Discover card, the folks there will know whether I’ve missed any payments on my Visa card. Yet judges in New Mexico often are unaware that a defendant has prior convictions in the next county or is registered as a sex offender in another state. The State of New Mexico is having difficulty verifying the citizenship status of registered voters because of delays in getting information from the federal Department of Homeland Security.
People laughed when former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich suggested outsourcing the immigration database to American Express to reduce errors and fraud. But if the feds are serious about keeping criminals from buying firearms, this may be the best solution for universal background checks for gun purchases.
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