Fed DOJ Invests $20 Million in Firearms Backgound Check Systems

The Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) is planning to spend more than $20 million to strengthen the firearm background check system by improving states’ abilities to share information with the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Attorney General Eric Holder stated: “The Department of Justice intends to take immediate and effective action to work with states to fill gaps in information currently available to the NICS system.”

OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) are providing three grants to support state efforts to improve flow of the information needed by NICS. The grants would be used to improve access to and reporting of: 1) mental health information; 2) felony convictions; 3) misdemeanor domestic violence convictions; and 4) domestic violence restraining orders. The project also hopes to get immediate access to active felony and misdemeanor warrants. The grants will support enhancements to electronic submissions of fingerprints to state and federal systems as well as linking of arrest and disposition. Funding will be provided under National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP), NICS Act Record Improvement Program (NARIP), and a new initiative called, Improving the Completeness of Firearm Background Checks through Enhanced State Data Sharing. CLICK HERE for more info on the new Background Check Data Sharing Programs.