Source: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/s8172
Timestamp: 2019-12-06 06:58:46
Document Index: 584652461

Matched Legal Cases: ['§228', '§896', '§400', '§400', '§  2', '§  3', '§  4', '§ 5']

NY State Senate Bill S8172
senate Bill S8172
Get Status Alerts for S8172
Apr 13, 2018 referred to finance
S8172 (ACTIVE) - Details
Add §228, Exec L; amd §§896 & 898, Gen Bus L; amd §400.03, add §400.06, Pen L
S8172 (ACTIVE) - Summary
Relates to the point of contact for conducting national instant criminal background checks; authorizes and directs the division of state police to serve as the point of contact for implementation of 18 U.S.C. sec. 922(t).
S8172 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo
BILL NUMBER: S8172
TITLE OF BILL:  An act to amend the executive law, the general busi-
ness law and the penal law, in relation to the point of contact for
conducting national instant criminal background checks
To make New York a point of contact state for the National Instant Crim-
inal Background Check System. SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section one amends the executive law to add a new section 228 that
authorizes and directs the state police to serve as the point of contact
for implementation of the National Instant Criminal Background Check
System (NICS), and sets forth requirements for implementation including
Section two amends subdivision 2 of section 898 of the general business
law to require gun dealers to contact the state police to conduct a
Section three amends paragraph (c) of subdivision 1 of section 896 of
the general business law to require coordination with state police to
provide access to NICS checks at gun shows.
Section four amends subdivision 6 of section 400.03 of the penal law to
provide that the state police should be contacted to conduct background
checks for the sale of ammunition, should that requirement take effect.
Section five amends the penal law by adding a new section 400.06, which
provides that all firearms dealers must contact the state police to,
conducts a NICS check, and failure to do so is a class A misdemeanor.
Gun violence is tearing apart communities throughout America. We must
take steps to ensure that guns are kept out of the hands of those who
are prohibited from acquiring them. Backgrounds checks for gun purchases
in New York are currently completed by contacting the federal government
for a check through the National Instant Criminal Background Check
System (NICS). Putting the New York State Police in charge of background
checks will strengthen the role of law enforcement in this area. New
York State must become a point of contact state to increase accuracy,
efficiency and control of background checks on gun purchases in New
York, in order to create greater safety for New Yorkers.
Currently 13 states are full point of contact states and 7 states are
partial point of contact states for NICS background checks, and log the
27,538,673 background checks processed through the NICS in 2016, the
NICS Section processed 9,360,833 transactions, and state users processed
18,177,840 transactions."* This reveals that states actually process the
majority of NICS checks. When states assume point of contact status for
NICS, the states can assert greater control over the process of complet-
ing the checks.**
The United States Attorney General has recognized that there is a prob-
lem with inaccurate reporting of records.*** According to the Giffords
Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, states are often in a better posi-
tion to locate necessary information as well as to encourage increased
reporting of records for a more thorough and accurate check.
In addition, based on conversations with police in other states, it is
clear that New York State Police would have greater access to the infor-
mation about those individuals denied gun purchases if the police were
to process the denials. Law enforcement could then respond to incidents
more quickly, and recognize trends in gun usage more efficiently.****
Making New York a point of contact state for NICS will result in a safer
environment for New Yorkers. The New York State Police is uniquely situ-
ated to coordinate background checks with local police, who are often
already conducting background checks for licenses, and managing informa-
tion. Overall, New York will have greater efficiency and access to
information, especially as New York has recently entered into a Gun Pact
with states such as New Jersey and Connecticut, which are both point of
contact states, and Rhode Island, where the state police conducts its
own background check for each purchase of a firearm. Becoming a point of
contact state will allow New York to increase control, accuracy, effi-
ciency of background checks on firearm purchases, in order to improve
safety from gun violence.
*National Instant Criminal Background Check System INICS) Operations
Report 2016 at iii, 3.
**See Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence,
http://lawcenter.giffords.org/gun-laws/policy-areas/ background-
checks/nics-reporting-procedures/.
***See Memorandum from Attorney General Jeff Sessions to the Director of
the FBI and Acting Director of the ATF (Nov. 22, 2017)
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pressrelease/file/1013606/ down-
load?utm_medium=email &utm_source=govdelivery.
****See also Jane C. Tim, How Pennsylvania created a model gun back-
ground check system, (Nov. 25, 2017) https://www.google.com/a m
p/s/www.nbcnews.co m/politics/politics-news/a m p/howpennsylva nia-
created-mode 1-gun -backgrou nd-check-system-n822026
S8172 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf
AN ACT to amend the executive law, the  general  business  law  and  the
2. THE SUPERINTENDENT SHALL PROMULGATE A PLAN TO COORDINATE BACKGROUND
CHECKS FOR PURCHASES, INCLUDING NICS, IN NEW YORK STATE. SUCH  PLAN  MAY
INCLUDE,  BUT  IS  NOT  LIMITED  TO,  RECRUITING AND TRAINING PERSONNEL,
SETTING UP AN INSTANTANEOUS ELECTRONIC DATABASE, AND SELECTING HOURS  OF
(A) FOLLOWING IMPLEMENTATION OF SUCH PLAN, NO APPLICATION OR RECORD OF
SALE  SHALL  BE COMPLETED FOR THE PURCHASE OR TRANSFER OF A FIREARM BY A
LICENSED DEALER WITHOUT FIRST CONTACTING THE DIVISION.
(B) UPON ESTABLISHMENT OF SUCH PLAN, THE SUPERINTENDENT  SHALL  NOTIFY
THE EXISTENCE AND PURPOSE OF THE SYSTEM AND THE  MEANS  TO  BE  USED  TO
APPLY FOR BACKGROUND CHECKS.
LBD14987-01-8
S. 8172                             2
§  2.  Subdivision  2  of  section 898 of the general business law, as
2. Before any sale, exchange or disposal pursuant to this  article,  a
who  [consents]  SHALL  CONTACT  THE DIVISION OF STATE POLICE to conduct
such check[,  and  upon  completion  of  such  background  check,  shall
complete  a  document, the form of which shall be approved by the super-
intendent of state police, that identifies and confirms that such  check
§  3.  Paragraph  (c)  of  subdivision 1 of section 896 of the general
(c) COORDINATE WITH THE DIVISION OF STATE POLICE TO provide access  at
the  gun  show  to  [a  firearm dealer licensed under federal law who is
authorized to] perform a  national  instant  criminal  background  check
[where  the  seller  or transferor of a firearm, rifle or shotgun is not
authorized to conduct such a check by (i) requiring  firearm  exhibitors
who  are  firearm dealers licensed under federal law and who are author-
ized to conduct a national instant criminal background check to  provide
such  a check at cost or (ii) designating a specific location at the gun
to conduct a national instant criminal background check will be  present
to  perform such a check at cost] PRIOR TO ANY FIREARM SALE OR TRANSFER.
Any firearm dealer licensed under federal law  who  [performs]  CONTACTS
THE  DIVISION  OF  STATE  POLICE  TO PERFORM a national instant criminal
background check pursuant to this paragraph shall provide the seller  or
transferor  of  the  firearm, rifle or shotgun with a copy of the United
States Department of Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco  and  Firearms
Form  ATF  F 4473 and such dealer shall maintain such form and make such
form available for inspection by law enforcement agencies for  a  period
§  4.  Subdivision  6  of section 400.03 of the penal law, as added by
instant criminal background check system, [use  of  that  system  by]  a
dealer  or  seller SHALL CONTACT THE DIVISION OF STATE POLICE TO CONDUCT
SUCH CHECK WHICH shall be sufficient to satisfy  subdivisions  four  and
five  of  this  section [and such checks shall be conducted through such
§ 5. The penal law is amended by adding a new section 400.06  to  read
1.  ANY  DEALER  IN  FIREARMS THAT DELIVERS OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERS ANY
2. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THIS SECTION IS A  CLASS