Currently there is no mental health background check or examination required to purchase a gun, yet tragic shootings continue to be perpetrated by the clearly mentally ill who purchase guns legally.
With an extensive psychiatric history of violent tendencies, and no criminal record someone can buy a gun. These shooters are young mentally ill people who haven't yet developed criminal records.
The burden to first time gun buyers is substantially outweighed by the value of human life.
So many tragedies would be avoided if there was some effort to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill.