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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.