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JUDY WOODRUFF: Now back 
to Sunday's massacre 
in a Texas church.

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As we reported, the 
killer's past behavior 
should have legally 
blocked him from purchasing

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the guns he used 
to kill 26 people.

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Our nation's gun laws 
are a patchwork, varying 
from state to state, and 
requiring the diligence

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of many different 
agencies and officials.

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William Brangham is back 
with a explanation of this 
complicated legal landscape.

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WILLIAM BRANGHAM: In the United 
States, the settlement gives 
citizens entered right to

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keep and bear arms.

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The Supreme Court has several 
times affirm this fact.

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But there are some legal 
restrictions on who can 
purchase or keep guns.

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Under federal law, to buy a 
gun from a licensed dealer, you 
have to be a U.S. citizen and

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at least 21 to get handgun 
or 18 for a rifle or shotgun.

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Retailers also have to run your 
through the National Instant 
Criminal Background Check

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System.

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Federal and some state laws 
designate four main categories 
that restrict your ability

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to get a gun: committing 
a violent or gun-related 
crime, having a 
diagnosed mental illness,

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known drug or alcohol 
abuse, or crimes committed 
when you were a juvenile.

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These are all things 
that would show up in 
that background check.

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These restrictions might seem 
obvious, but not every state 
has these rules, and not every

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state enforces the 
laws in the same way.

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For example, in 23 states and 
Washington, D.C., you can't 
have a gun if you have been

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convicted of a violent 
or gun-related crime.

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The killer in Texas, Devin 
Kelley, should have been blocked 
from buying a gun because

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he violently abused his wife and 
her toddler several years ago 
when he was in the Air Force.

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A 1996 federal law bars domestic 
abusers from buying gun, but, 
as we mentioned before, the

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Air Force didn't report his 
record to other authorities.

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On the issue of mental illness, 
a majority of states and D.C. 
bar people with a history

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of mental problems from 
accessing firearms.

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But it's by no means foolproof.

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The great majority of 
people suffering from mental 
illness are not violent.

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So, who determines 
who is a threat?

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Sometimes, an individual will 
be flagged by the legal system 
or by a mental health provider,

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but, often, reporting 
it to federal and state 
databases never happens.

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On the issue of drug abuse, 
if you're known to authorities 
to abuse drugs or have been

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convicted of a drug-related 
crime, 28 states and Washington, 
D.C., will block your access

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to a firearm.

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The same goes for alcohol 
in 18 states and the 
District of Columbia.

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And with each of these 
restrictions, a handful of 
states only block people 
from having handguns,

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not shotguns or rifles.

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Of course, people can 
often bypass state and 
federal rules entirely 
simply by buying firearms

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from private sellers, 
often at gun shows.

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Those sales from one private 
citizen to another are largely 
exempt from any reporting rules.

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This is what's known as 
the gun show loophole.

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It's estimated that almost a 
quarter of all guns are bought 
this way, with no background

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checks at all.

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Another loophole, there is no 
federal system for removing 
firearms if a person later falls

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into one of these 
prohibited categories.

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So if you bought a 
gun legally, but then 
developed mental illness 
or commit a violent act or

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abuse drugs, it's nearly 
impossible for authorities 
to take those guns back.

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So here's a crucial question: 
Do any of these laws actually 
make a difference in reducing

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gun deaths?

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Do they make us 
safer as a society?

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According to one analysis done 
by the Law Center to Prevent 
Gun Violence -- that's the

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group associated with former 
Congresswoman and gun control 
advocate Gabby Giffords -- the

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answer is clearly yes.

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The center graded all 50 states 
from A through an F on how 
they enact and enforce gun laws

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and then compared those 
grades to actual gun 
deaths in each state.

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They conclude -- quote 
-- "States with stronger 
laws have fewer gun 
deaths per capita, while

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states with weaker laws 
have more gun deaths."

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Many gun rights group 
take strong issue with 
this kind of analysis.

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They argue that fewer 
restrictions and more 
gun ownership is the 
way to better public

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safety.

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For the "PBS NewsHour," 
I'm William Brangham.