End Of Days News
Attorney General Eric Holder on Friday released three proposals to
strengthen the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS),
which was one of the 23 actions ordered by Obama last week to tackle gun violence.
The proposed regulations would
give local law-enforcement agencies access to the gun-sale database
that is maintained by the FBI. The rules would also preserve records of
denied weapons sales indefinitely.
The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act already requires federal
background checks for gun purchases, but not every firearm sale is
covered under the law.
Currently, law enforcement agencies cannot perform a NICS check when
transferring, returning or selling weapons that have been confiscated,
seized or recovered. The new rules would change that, allowing officials
to perform a background check on people who receive those weapons to
ensure that they are permitted to own a gun.
Obama ordered the rule change in a Jan. 16 memo that called for
“rulemaking to give law enforcement the ability to run a full background
check on an individual before returning a seized gun."
Holder is also proposing that the NICS hold on to records of denied
weapon sales that are more than 10 years old. When the NICS was
established, the Justice Department ordered that the records be moved to
a storage facility after 10 years, which Holder says is no longer
necessary.
"The FBI has therefore determined that for NICS’ own internal
business operations, litigation and prosecution purposes, and proper
administration of the system, NICS shall retain denied transaction
records on site," Holder wrote in a notice to be published in Monday's Federal Register. "The retention of denied transaction information ... will enhance the efficiency and operational capability of the NICS."
The proposed rules would also give Native American tribes access to
NICS. Currently, only federal, state, or local agencies can perform the
checks, which leaves out “domestic dependent nations” recognized by the
United States.
The Justice Department isn’t the only part of the administration that
has been asked to take action in response to last month’s school
shooting in Newtown, Conn. The president has also ordered the Department
of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education and the
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to get involved.
One of Obama’s directives was to ensure coverage of mental health
treatment in Medicaid and under the healthcare reform law. He also
ordered increased training of school staff to help them recognize signs
of mental illness.
The CDC, meanwhile, was directed to study the causes of gun violence.
The president urged Congress to approve $10 million for the agency to
examine whether there are links between shooting sprees and violent
entertainment.
Comments on the Justice Department proposals are due by March 28.
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