Are universal background checks alone enough to help reduce the number of shooting deaths in our country?

The answer appears to be no. Background checks alone cannot do enough to reduce gun deaths, a new study finds.

A more effective strategy, a Tufts University School of Medicine study shows, is to require future gun owners to also get a permit before purchasing a firearm.

Gun owners on average have four or more firearms. A permit system makes it easier for them to make multiple purchases over time without having to wait for a background check for each purchase.

The researchers looked at homicide rates between 1976 to 2022 from 12 states requiring universal background checks but not permits. Those states include Vermont, New York and Nevada among others.

The team then compared the homicide rate with seven states that require a background check plus a permit. Among those states are Massachusetts, California and Rhode Island.

The finding showed that a lot has to do with ease of access: states with only background checks had a slight variation in firearm homicides, while states with background checks plus laws requiring permits had reductions in shooting deaths ranging from 2 to 32 percent.

There are reasons why the addition of a state permit is more effective:

  • The exact requirements for a gun permit differ from state-to-state, but they typically require individuals to go through a series of checks before issuing it. Sometimes that includes taking a safety test. Typically, the permit will be honored for several years.
  • Criminal databases for gun permits are kept up-to-date more consistently than the data used for universal background checks. They are also more likely to include information such as driving under the influence or domestic battery.
  • Universal background checks can fail when a request for a background check takes so long to come back that it has passed the window of 72 hours that a person can legally be kept waiting for a gun. This loophole will allow someone with a criminal record to make a firearm purchase just by default.

“These findings cast doubt on the main strategy currently being used by gun violence prevention advocates and policymakers to reduce firearm fatalities,” Michael Siegel, the study's author and professor of public health and community medicine at Tufts School of Medicine, said in a press release. “If state lawmakers really want to reduce gun violence, the most effective policy they can enact is one that requires permits in order to purchase or possess a gun.”

Siegel's position is further supported by the findings of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the State Firearm Law Database.

Gun owners, on average, have four or more firearms. Siegel points out that having a permit system makes it easier for them to make multiple purchases over time. They don't have to wait for a background check for each purchase.

“One of the major implications of this research,” Siegel explained, “is that it supports changing the way we do things, such as encouraging all states to adopt reciprocal permitting systems, meaning a person with a gun permit in one state would be allowed to bring their license and gun legally into another state.”

Universal background checks can fail if a request for a background check doesn't come back before the window of 72 hours that a person can legally be kept waiting for a gun has passed.

Regardless of laws, a gun in the wrong hands can lead to unintentional shootings, suicide and homicide. Take the following precautions with any gun in the home:

  • Never leave a gun out in the open unattended.
  • Unload firearms when not in use. Remove all ammunition from the firearm, including any rounds in the chamber.
  • Keep the firearm locked. Secure firearms with cable locks and store in a lockable safe.
  • Store ammunition in a lockbox or safe separately from firearms. Keep the keys to the firearms and ammunition storage in separate locations.
  • Talk with children about what to do if they see a gun. Make sure they know not to touch it, and to tell you or another responsible adult about it.

The study is published in JAMA Network Open.