Do waiting periods accomplish the same things as closing the Charleston loophole?

While it is imperative that lawmakers close the Charleston Loophole, which would require some gun buyers to wait for several days until their background check is completed before they can complete their purchase, that policy only affects gun buyers whose records require further investigation to determine if they are prohibited. By contrast, a waiting period applies to all gun buyers—providing a “cooling off” period for the people who might reconsider their intentions in the interim.