Today's report confirms that the NICS is a powerful tool to help law enforcement and federally licensed gun dealers keep guns out of the wrong hands. Through NICS, the FBI and state and local law enforcement perform instant searches of over 35 million records to help prevent the sale of guns to prohibited buyers. In its first 13 months of operation, the NICS conducted over 10 million background checks and blocked an estimated 179,000 prohibited gun sales. To date, the Brady Law has stopped more than half a million felons, fugitives, and other prohibited persons from purchasing firearms. Most blocked sales were to felons and other criminals.
NICS checks help law enforcement apprehend fugitives.
NICS prevented more than 2,400 wanted persons from buying guns, and FBI employees identified those persons to law enforcement agencies, leading to the apprehension of dangerous fugitives from justice. Reducing time for background checks means more criminals get guns. The President's initiative doubles funding for the National Criminal History Records Improvement Program which helps states to update, computerize and complete their records on felons, fugitives, domestic abusers, and others restricted from purchasing firearms. Pushing for Action on Common-Sense Gun Legislation For over eight months, the Republican leadership has refused to allow the House and Senate conferees to meet and have a substantive debate on the gun measures in the pending juvenile crime bill. Joined by a bipartisan group of House members, the President urged Congress to pass a motion by Representative Lofgren calling on conferees to meet in the next two weeks.