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After 17 lives were lost in Parkland, Florida, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the nation has been reminded of the many mass shootings that have occurred in the United States particularly within school systems. Many have also been frustrated by a lack of answers as to how to stop these horrific actions. The Marjory Stoneman survivors have been speaking up, and many are demanding that something must be done. One of the students’ main concerns is access to firearms.

Many fear that guns are too easy to obtain and that background checks are insufficiently rigorous. So I decided to put this idea to the test.

Before I get to that, let’s play a game. I’m going to name four things, all of which are controlled to some extent. Then, you put them in order from easiest to access to most difficult to access.

An AR-15 Armalite Rifle, registration for a new Ford Fusion, a black labrador puppy, a pack of birth control pills.

Which item is the easiest to obtain? The answer depends on the person who is purchasing it. But for me, an 18-year-old woman with a perfect record and a decently normal life, my research suggests that the rifle would be the easiest thing to acquire. Right now, I would pass a background check with flying colors, potentially in 30 minutes or less. That background check, and some paperwork is all that stands between me and an AR-15.

I took the time to fill out the actual paperwork to see just how long it takes to get an AR-15, but also what it takes to obtain other debated items and other average items. The results are in the video that follows:

Deciding to test this 30-minute purchase theory, I headed to Bass Pro Shops in Altoona, Iowa, to walk through the process. After walking to the firearm section, I introduced myself and asked if I was able to film a mock firearm purchase. A manager came over and asked for the camera to be put away, and told me that they were not willing to walk me through a mock purchase.

He did, however, talk about the process. When explaining the steps of purchasing any firearm, the manager explained that the length of the purchase will always depend on a background check. Without ever telling me a minimum purchase time, the manager explained that it could possibly take even a week for a background check to go through.

Dissatisfied with many vague answers, I called Kade Hinkhouse. Hinkhouse was honorably discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps and lives in Colorado. I was aware that Hinkhouse had been employed by Cabela’s and sold firearms in the past.

When asking Hinkhouse how long an average background check could take, he answered, “Just because it takes me thirty minutes to run a background, (it) doesn’t mean that it’s universal,” Hinkhouse said, “ it varies person to person.”

He explained how important it is to fill out the Firearms Transaction Record correctly. “No one can coach you,” Hinkhouse said. “Nobody can tell you what to mark on the form.”

Now understanding more about firearms transactions, I took my questions back on campus and asked Bass Pro Employee and Grand View Student, Andrew Tressel, more questions about this important process.

According to Tressel, the first thing that happens is the customer comes up, looks at their choices of firearms, decides what they will be doing with it, and who the gun is for. “If it’s for a different party, we can’t sell them that gun because we know they are going to give it to that person,” Tressel said.

“Generally a gun sale will take anywhere from 15 minutes,” Tressel told me. “(That’s) if the background check gets approved right away. If it doesn’t, it could take one to two days. But, generally on average it takes 15 to 20 minutes.”

When asked what may be a “red flag” during a gun purchase, Tressel said, “When it comes to setting off red flags, as far as if the purchase will be allowed, a big one is alcohol on the breath.” Tressel went on, “If we smell or detect any alcohol and/or drug we have the right to stop that purchase right then and there.”

I asked Tressel what preventative measures could be taken in prevention of instances like the Parkland Shooting, to which he replied, “Stricter gun background checks, I don’t think they are thorough enough as it is.”