Why weren't there background checks!!

SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - Despite defense claims made on Monday that many of the victims in a 2006 hit-and-run rampage were “merely grazed or clipped,” a San Francisco judge said there was enough evidence to convict Omeed Popal of 16 counts of premeditated attempted murder, among other charges.
http://www.examiner.com/a-1144294~Judge__Evidence_against_Popal_strong.html

Licensing is not working, there need to be more controls & background checks, we need reasonable car control laws. We have to stop the sale of deadly assault vehicles, from the article
"including 16 counts of attempted murder, 16 counts of assault with a deadly weapon, one count of battery on a peace officer, one count of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer"
This is not your grandfathers Model T, this is a modern assault vehicle!
Do we have to fear the AAA forever?