NRA Says Background Checks Won’t Prevent Shootings. Is That True?

The National Rifle Association released a statement Wednesday saying that “expanding background checks at gun shows will not prevent the next shooting, will not solve violent crime and will not keep our kids safe in schools.”

This comes on the heels of an NRA-backed 225-page proposal featuring new school safety measures -- a "counterproposal to the spate of gun control bills introduced in the wake of the mass shooting in Newtown.”

We’ve posted the NRA’s statement below. It focuses on mental health issues over background checks. Please respectfully share your thoughts below.

We have a broken mental health system that is not going to be fixed with more background checks at gun shows. The sad truth is that no background check would have prevented the tragedies in Newtown, Aurora or Tucson. We need a serious and meaningful solution that addresses crime in cities like Chicago, addresses mental health deficiencies, while at the same time protecting the rights of those of us who are not a danger to anyone. President Obama should be as committed to dealing with the gang problem that is tormenting honest people in his hometown as he is to blaming law-abiding gun owners for the acts of psychopathic murderers.

Thoughts?