A new report on the
National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) claiming that
thousands of illegal buyers have obtained guns because of inadequate
records is drawing criticism from state and federal officials who
challenge the report's accuracy. The report, "Broken Records," issued by
the gun control advocacy group Americans for Gun Safety Foundation (AGSF)
says that over a 30-month period some "10,000 felons and others prohibited
from buying guns were able to pass background checks and get firearms
because most states have failed to adequately automate background check
records." The problem, according to AGSF, is that insufficient records are
delaying the completion of background checks beyond the three-day window
given the FBI to either approve or deny a firearm sale. After three
business days have elapsed, if a firearm dealer has not heard from the
FBI, he may proceed with the transaction. It is these "default proceed"
transactions that AGSF says put guns in criminal hands, and the group is
urging that no gun sales be made until the FBI has thoroughly investigated
them no matter how long it may take. However, officials from at least
three states that got failing grades in the AGSF report dispute the
group's conclusions. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and a local agent
with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms say that just because some
background checks are not completed within a three-day period does not
mean illegal gun sales are the result. "We check all those out," said an
ATF official in Kansas City noting that "in many cases, it turns out the
person shouldn't have been blocked anyway." If alerted that an illegal
buyer obtained a gun, the agency goes after him the official said. South
Carolina Attorney General Charlie Condon defended his state's computerized
records and described the AGSF report as "false information," adding
"we're doing a good job in terms of checking people appropriately."
Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Paul J. Evanko "flunked" the AGSF
for "poor research" of his state's computerized screening system. "The
statistics show that the Pennsylvania Instant Check System (PICS) is one
of the best - if not the best - in the nation for keeping weapons out of
the hands of those who shouldn't have them. We are extremely proud of
PICS," Evanko said. According to an FBI "Operations Report" released in
April of last year analyzing the first 25 months of NICS (Dec. 98 through
Dec. 2000), 18.5 million checks had been conducted with some 300,000 (2%
of the total) resulting in denied sales.

1969

Neil Armstrong is the first man on the moon. The "Aquarian Exposition" takes place in Woodstock, New York, (Woodstock Festival). Yasser Arafat becomes leader of PLO. The first test-tube fertilisation of human eggs, in England. US Department of Defense starts ARPANET, the forerunner of the Internet.