rding to an FBI report, National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS): The First Seven Months, the Interim Brady System (February 28, 1994 through November 30, 1998), "over 310,000 felons, fugitives, and other prohibited people" were prevented from getting handguns. And this NICS 2002 Operations Report, claims since the inception of NICS, there have been over 563,000 handgun denials.
             Of course this doesn't mean all persons denied purchases were prevented from obtaining a firearm by other means, or that they were stopped from committing a crime with a different or no weapon. However, surely a number of crimes were averted due to the under-motivation of some potential criminals. Even though the evidence suggests waiting periods and instant background checks are not statistically significant factors in reducing violent crime, they do appear to have merit since they will thwart some crime, and in most cases involve no practical infringement of law-abiding gun owners' rights. (Guncite.com)
             The only other major effect of the Brady Bill seems to be a decline in suicides for people over the age of fifty-five years old according to Phillip J. Cook whose statement was recorded as follows:
             Data on gun suicides showed the same trends, though Cook said "There is some hint of an effect on the gun suicide rate for persons over age 55, some of whom appear to be deterred by the waiting period. But overall suicide rates do not decline, suggesting that some people simply changed their method when they couldn't get a gun more quickly." (Cook, Phillip J.)
             While the United States needs to do everything possible to keep firearms from getting into the hands of criminals, we must never lose site of the fact that the architects of this great nation intended for individual rights to be respected. Furthermore, any attempts to legislate good behavior will not often have the effects that are desired.
             Positive Issues regarding gu...