A. Anyone who wishes to purchase one of these rifles, or any firearm, from a licensed firearm dealer must fill out a federal form and pass a background check that is called in to the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System call center. The FBI checks the purchaser's personal information against several national and international databases. All past convictions or current indictments for felonies and some misdemeanors, including domestic violence prohibit a person from owning firearms.
Having been adjudicated mentally defective as risk to yourself or others or having been committed to a mental institution also makes you ineligible to purchase or own firearms. With federal HIPAA privacy laws, most cases involving mental health issues making a person a danger to themselves or others are not reported to law enforcement, making it impossible for gun dealers or the FBI NICS system to identify and prohibit them from guns.
Whenever there is a question of a person's mental health or the possibility of intended misuse of a firearm, my store refuses the sale and contacts the appropriate authorities.
While in most cases of people with severe mental health issues obtaining firearms to commit evil acts do not involve legal sales, enough have slipped through the background checks to require us as a nation to at least have the discussion about privacy rights in the case of mental health and public safety.
Bobbie Woods, whose 28-year-old son, Terrill, was shot and killed in 2003 in South Bend, is one of the founders of Mamas Against Violence.
Q. What went through your mind when you heard about the Sandy Hook School shootings?
A. The pain that those parents were going through. Every time I hear of a senseless loss of a child or a young person, it brings that back.
I'd like to know how many members of the NRA have lost a child to gun violence.
Q. Vice President Biden's task force is examining a range of issues, including gun access, mental illness and violence in our culture. What do you see as deserving primary focus?
A. Access to guns and types of guns available. Why does anyone need weapons like the semi-automatic rifle used in Newtown and big ammunition clips? Nobody needs that for hunting or even to protect themselves in a home invasion. A .38-caliber handgun will stop somebody.
There should be home visits to make sure people who shouldn't have access to guns, like the shooter in Connecticut, can't get them.
Violence in the media, especially video games does play a part. Some kids cannot distinguish between what's real and what isn't. Many people don't buy toy guns for kids any more -- then why these games?
Q. Has your perspective on the Second Amendment changed?
A. No, I think people are just using those rights as an excuse to flood the community with guns. My son had said that when he was 14 he could have gotten a gun. Somebody's supplying those guns. What about our kids' rights to grow up safely?
Carole Schmidt- Superintendent of the South Bend Community School Corp.
Q. We know that armed security officers are on duty at all South Bend high schools. The NRA is suggesting arming key personnel in every school to better protect children. What is your opinion of this idea?
A. I don't see this as a solution. Arming more people sends the message that guns provide appropriate response to problems. While protecting students is a priority, the use of guns is not the answer. We have many measures in place, such as: cameras at all school entrances, locked and numbered doors, ID cards worn by all students and staff, regular safety drills, school Tipline for reporting potential threats, immediate notification of law enforcement technology, crisis response training for administrators and security personnel.
Q. SB schools, like many others, have discovered guns in the possession of students on school campuses. Much more often, our students are involved in gun violence in their homes or on the streets. What issues in our community do you see that most need addressing to solve this?