Just to point out that people who believe NICS and other ‘background checks’ actually check into a person’s background are misinformed at best. All that happens is a check is made to see if the person has been entered in the FBI’s list of prohibited people; felons, mentally defective, etc.
You want a real check into your background? Submit an SF-86 form when applying for a job that requires a security clearance.

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Opinion: Put more guns in the hands of older people

In the aftermath of this most recent rash of crazed shooters killing innocent citizens and children while they are going about their normal lives, it is urgently incumbent upon all our lawmakers in Raleigh and Washington, to give North Carolina’s senior citizens a fighting chance to defend themselves against the increasing numbers of evil killers just itching to get into a crowd and open fire.

One thing our legislatures can do now is enact a law allowing seniors — 65 and above — to carry a concealed weapon without a license or other restrictions — in addition to “Open-Carry” laws already on the books in many states.

Here are a few common sense reasons to pass this law ASAP:

1. Very few crimes are committed by this age group and many — if not most — seniors are living on fixed incomes and can’t afford expensive classes, licenses, or other legal obstacles to carrying a concealed weapon for self-defense.

2. The same thorough background checks that apply to everyone else should also apply to seniors and anyone with a history of mental illness and convicted felons should not be allowed to carry a weapon.

3. All mandatory testing, training, fingerprinting, firearms safety and proficiency courses should be waived as most seniors have had many years of experience using a gun safely.

4. Since seniors are generally not any kind of threat and the least likely of all citizens to commit a crime, arming our seniors would enhance the public safety of all of America’s population.