Originally posted by DarthSkywalker0There have been other findings that are more positive regarding background checks. Everytown for Gun Safety, for instance, has compiled a variety of statistics on the matter. They point out that a repeal of background checks in Missouri resulted in an increase in homicides, and that states with background checks see significantly less police shot in the line of duty and suicides. These stats are sometimes critiqued as they do not account for some of the other variables, but this criticism does not apply to the Missouri findings which did control for other factors in their conclusion.
But, Universal Background checks have failed not been shown to reduce homicides. To quote John Lott,And background checks have no effect on violent crime, as found in this recent 2017 study: https://repository.library.georgetown.edu/bitstream/handle/10822/1043958/McCarthy_georgetown_0076M_13603.pdf?sequence=1
A 2012 metaanalysis that looked at studies from 1983 and 2005 found that,
As of 2000, the Department of Justice found that only 2% of crimes are committed with guns bought at gun shows and most of those are purchased legally. There is also a huge number of false positives found in background checks which incomber gun ownership thereby increasing crime.
I would also point out that background checks as envisioned by most gun control activists would ideally come along with a slew of other gun regulations and government initiatives, and that they would ideally be more rigorously enforced on the federal level than they are in many states currently. Just because they don't work as of now doesn't mean they couldn't work with better enforcement and better accompanying regulations.