Shootings Could have Been Easily Averted By A Simple Data Search

The clarion call went out this week as the victims' families sought an asnwer to the tragedy in Isla Vista last Friday.  Many of the emotionally charged crowds are clamoring for more stringent gun control laws, while others want to find a nexus between mental health and gun purchases.  The real solution here is just to utilize California's existing gun regulations.  There is a data base within the California Department of Justice which records all gun purcahses involving registered gun stores in California.  In fact, gun purchasers pay a separate fee to maintain this database, called a DROS fee.  The sale is registered with the purchaser's information along with the type of gun being purchased, and serial number.  Then there is a waiting period of 11 days, upon which the concluding paperwork is submitted to the DOJ. There should have been some alert as to a person purchasing three guns in a short period of time.

This means that the authorities who performed the welfare check simply could have accessed this database and they would have seen that Elliot had purchased three handguns, presumably in a 90 day period.  The authorities could have easily discovered Elliot's interest in acquiring guns and then they could have retireved those guns as his possession of the guns then created a realistic threat that the authorities could have quashed from the get go.  This action is not a mere shot in the dark as these records are maintained to list all guns and rifles purchased in the State of California.  It is clear that this search was not done on the DOJ website and that had this search been done, at least 3 students would still be alive and enjoying the wonders of life.