It is possible for a private citizen to do background checks for a price, but I don't think that includes mental background. I guess you'd have to include that in the cost of the gun or the buyer should pay for it ahead of the purchase somehow. I am sure that detail will be worked out somehow. It is sad that it has to come to such things but seriously what else can we do? I am with Obama and others with regard to us doing everything we possibly can to help limit the gun violence in this country and I don't think it has to be an infringement on the 2nd amendment rights in doing so. The automatic knee-jerk responses by gun rights groups is unwarranted in my opinion. I don't think anyone in the government wants to take away the guns of good people but it would be irresponsible to not take action.

In the schools here they do try to have police resource officers assigned to schools and that is a really good idea in a lot of ways. The problem is funding for it. Perhaps if legal provisions were made for armed volunteers to assist with those duties it would help. Volunteers are automatically screened with fingerprinting and background checks and I am sure that there are good people in communities that would come forward for it. Perhaps if the government(s) would at least offer mileage and a small per diem reimbursement it wouldn't hurt either. I see more of a problem in getting mental health screening done and done right. I imagine the ACLU or some other privacy dogs will start barking about that soon. I also think there should be a line drawn concerning mental health assessments and weed out the harmless people with mental heath issues. There are an awful lot of folks taking "mental health" drugs who wouldn't hurt a flea. They may not want guns but their right to should not be taken away just because they have a problem with depression, anxiety and such that benefits from medication.