The Federal Bureau of Investigation blocked 11,584 sales of firearms during the first 41 days of NICS, the new, computerized criminal records instant check system, the Associated Press reported on January 11.
According to AP, the FBI “took steps” to catch 1,541 prospective gun purchasers who were wanted for arrest.
Most of the 11,584 denials involved convicted felons, the FBI said.
When the Bureau found outstanding arrest warrants for prospective buyers, it advised either the state or federal law enforcement agency that was seeking the person.
While the FBI reported it did not know the number of arrests that resulted, it did indicate that they included a man in Oklahoma wanted for embezzlement and a woman in Texas wanted for tampering with government records.
The 11,584 blocked sales represented a fraction (slightly over one percent) of the 1,030,606 checks that the FBI reportedly performed.
In Concord, New Hampshire, U. S. Sen. Robert Smith of the state announced that he will be a “favorite son” candidate for the Republican nomination for President next year.
Sen. Smith last year introduced and promoted in the U. S. Senate a measure to prohibit the FBI from charging a user fee, or tax, on NICS approvals, to mandate the immediate FBI destruction of records of NICS approvals, and to permit citizen lawsuits against the FBI for failure to implement such immediate destruction.
The entire measure passed overwhelmingly in the Senate.
Although the entire measure was not considered by the House of Representatives, a House-Senate conference committee did report favorably on the “no gun tax” provision, and that was included in an omnibus appropriations measure which was enacted into law.
Sen. Smith, terribly disappointed that the House did not consider the other two provisions of his bill, vowed that he would reintroduce a bill with those two provisions in it this year.
Long a champion in the Senate of the right of individual law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms, Sen. Bob Smith holds a CCRKBA Gun Rights Defender of the Month Award.
In Maryland, recently reelected anti-gun Gov. Parris N. Glendening reportedly decided not to try to promote new anti-gun legislation this year.
Last September 29, Glendening announced that he planned to introduce in January of 1999, last month, legislation requiring new handguns to have safety devices that would prevent anyone but the owner from firing them. The next day, gun control advocate James S. Brady, husband of Sarah Brady, the Chairwoman of Handgun Control, Inc., endorsed Glendening’s reelection campaign. However, Glendening now has postponed the proposal for a year, in part to lobby state legislators on the issue, reports THE WASHINGTON POST.
“On the one hand,” said Ginny Wolf, Director of the anti-gun Marylanders Against Handgun Abuse, “you’re not happy about it because you’re all set to go.” Wolf, whose group reportedly helped shape the new gun control proposal, said her board members “were told right away. At first they weren’t too happy…But they decided it probably was a good idea.”
In New Jersey, Gov. Christine Todd Whitman announced she would propose legislation to require that every gun sold in the state include either a safety lock or the so-called “smart gun” technology, preventing anyone other than the gun’s owner from firing the weapon.
It is expected that Whitman will face opposition from Assembly Speaker Jack Collins. He said he would wait to see the proposed legislation before commenting, but would be reluctant to impose requirements on gun owners before the “smart gun” technology was widely available.
In Washington, D. C., Rep. Bob Barr of Georgia introduced H. R. 59, a bill to amend title 18 of the U. S. Code to provide that the firearm prohibitions applicable by reason of a domestic violence misdemeanor conviction do not apply if the conviction occurred before the prohibitions became law. Referred to the House Judiciary Committee.
U. S. Rep. Rod Blagojevich of Illinois introduced H. R. 85, to prohibit, with certain exceptions, the transfer of a handgun to, or the possession of a handgun by, an individual who has not attained 21 years of age. Referred to the House Judiciary Committee.
U. S. Reps. Rod Blagojevich of Illinois and Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island introduced H. R. 87, to prohibit internet and mail order sales of ammunition without a license to deal in firearms, and to require licensed firearms dealers to record all sales of 1,000 round of ammunition to a single person.