Let's focus on mass shootings for a minute. People are going to get guns and ammunition wether they buy it at a high price or find a more cost effective way of making/obtaining it. Ammunition is not hard to create, there is a large push in this country to keep guns legal and relatively easy to get, and even if gun/ammo production was cut down tremendously in this country, it would still be mass produced in countless other countries(most notably third world countries). Guns are not going away. Mental health checks and background checks are a good idea. I'll give you that. In illinois, when I was applying for my FOID card, the state police did a background check to see any past violent crimes, institutionalizations, etc... I think that can be a step in the right direction. But there's a few problems with it: we can't police thoughts. We can't foresee who's going to use that gun for criminal activity. Besides do you know the percentage of violent crimes involving a firearm that was obtained illegally? I should look it up but I can't right now. That could sway the argument either way. Moreover, we can't foresee who will become severely mentally ill and violent. Should we ban anyone at all who's had counseling or treatmet for depression/anger issues/etc... from owning a gun? The majority of depressed, anxious and even schizophrenics and bipolar disorder patients are not a threat to anyone, including themselves. It's a slippery slope. Right now, for instance, in Illinois, the Foid card is denied to anyone institutionalized against their will (reason being they were found to be a threat to themselves or others by a court). But to expand on my previous idea, where should we draw the line? What about a 21 year old in college who has bouts of rage and depression and shows anti social behavior? Obviously the symptoms I listed are a red flag for mental health officials. But yet many people who suffer from depression and other mental illness do not have the ability to seek mental treatmet. This is where I believe, for one, our society is failing. To not only watch out and look over mentally unstable individuals, but to also attempt to treat them and have them return to a possibly normal state of mind. Many states offer free mental health services for medicaid users. The state of this system can be shaky, to say the least. There are definitely flaws, and there is definitely work to be done. Yet people, for the most part, can get help if they want it. But what if they don't want help? I'm sure you've seen kids in highschool or college who you thought looked off. Maybe you joked around about them shooting up the school. But when do jokes become actual concerns? And can these concerns invoke some type of authority figure to monitor an individual, or even intervene if need be? Because not everyone who is a danger to themselves and others have stepped up to get help, and that is a problem. You can take preventative measures, as I have explained. Or you can take immediate measures. Higher police force numbers and visible uniformed officers throughout crowded areas is an idea. But a tightening budget and bad light on police right now have done nothing but make cops FEARED, not welcomed, by law abiding citizens. Although I would argue this is less likely in crowded areas, such as colleges, as cops couldn't try to passively harass individuals. Although it does happen, fairly often. Yet there's a second way to immediately take action in the situation of a school shooter: Concealed carriers. Now having some average joe with just 30 hours at the range try to stop a gun men may sound dumb, but is it? They would, in theory, at least distract or occupy the gun men until police units could arrive. The gunmen could also be stopped. Now, an innocent bystander may be shot/killed. Is that a possibility you want to face in order to neutralize an active shooter? Before you answer ask yourself what the probability would be that the bystander would be killed if no one was firing back at the gun men to begin with. Theres a lot of debate to be had with this rising issue.