A solution to preventing tragedies like Orlando, short of gun control

The late Phil Klass of “Aviation Week & Space Technology” magazine had a few laws:

1) If someone proposes a simple solution to a complex problem, watch out.

2) If the solution is what the analyst had in mind before he analyzed the problem, be especially wary.

The liberal gun control solution to radical Islamic terror falls in that category. The test of any proposal is: would it have prevented that event from happening?

In Orlando’s case, not likely.

No one solution will prevent terrorists or criminals from killing; they will find the weapons somewhere. However, there’s one partial solution that might have prevented Orlando.

Apparently, Omar Mateen had been shopping for weapons, ammunition and a bulletproof vest for weeks and had been turned down at least once on the judgement of the dealer. (I cannot imagine the thoughts going through the mind of the salesman who sold those weapons and ammunition to Mateen.)

Everyone who deals in firearms must be federally licensed. I believe dealers are now (or should be) required to report any person who fails the background check. To carry it one step further, a dealer who feels uneasy for any reason about a customer (forget political correctness) who passes the check should call an FBI or ATF hotline.

The bureau involved would be required to immediately make an extensive check of all files and medical lists for past inclusion.

Mateen would have been put on tight surveillance, which might have aborted the tragedy.

The writer lives in Pawleys Island.

This story was originally published June 26, 2016 at 3:45 PM with the headline "A solution to preventing tragedies like Orlando, short of gun control."