Thompson, Fitzpatrick Urge Appropriators to Provide Funds to Strengthen Criminal Background Check System

Press Release

U.S. Reps. Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA) today led 125 of their colleagues in calling on appropriators to provide funds to strengthen the National Criminal Background Check System (NICS). The letter, signed by 119 Democrats and 8 Republicans, urged the House Appropriations Committee to, at minimum, maintain Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 funding levels in House version of the FY 2016 Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) Appropriations bill. Last year, Thompson and Fitzpatrick passed a bipartisan amendment which led to NICS funding being increased to record levels in the FY 2015 omnibus appropriations bill. The funds are used to help states improve data submissions to NICS.

"To stop criminals from getting guns we need to make sure their names are in the background check system," said Thompson and Fitzpatrick in a joint statement. "Our national criminal background check system is only as good as the data you put in it. These funds will help states get all their information into the system so that we know if a person trying to buy a gun is a criminal, a domestic abuser or is dangerously mentally ill."

NICS, the database used to determine whether or not a prospective buyer is eligible to buy a firearm, is missing information. Because of this, people who otherwise would not pass a background check can slip through the cracks and buy guns.

A USA Today report (link is external) found that in just five states, records for at least 2.5 million fugitives weren't entered into the NICS system.

According to a report by Everytown (link is external), 12 states have still submitted fewer than 100 mental health records to the NICS system.

According to the Department of Justice, six states have fewer than 30 total records each in the NICS system in all prohibited categories combined.

Maintaining, at minimum, the funding from the FY 2015 omnibus appropriations bill will provide states with additional resources to ensure the background check system has complete and timely information to keep firearms out of the hands of individuals who should not possess guns.

Source