Retroactive Background Checks?

John Crump had a very interesting article in Ammoland.com today. It seems that ATF leadership is asking its industry inspectors to gather names of those of us who used our carry permit to substitute for a NICS check. In North Carolina, the Concealed Handgun Permit substitutes for the NICS check. You still have to fill out the Form 4473 but no call is made to the FBI to run a background check. It is presumed that the check run to issue or renew the CHP establishes that you are not a prohibited person.

From John’s article:

In the conference call, the ATF leadership asked its Industry Operations Inspectors (IOI) to collect information on the customers that used concealed carry permits instead of obtaining a background check through the NICS. The purpose of obtaining this information would be to run the customer’s data through the NICS to see if the customer would have received an approved or denied status. In addition, the IOI will pass on the names and information of customers denied by the NICS to the criminal branch for a special agent to follow up….

The information from the firearms background check paperwork (ATF Form 4473) is not submitted to the FBI when the customer uses their permit. Before the new policy, the only time the government would know a person bought a gun is when the FFL goes out of business, a trace request is submitted, or the customer buys multiple handguns within a seven-day period.

It is as if the BATFE doesn’t trust state and local law enforcement to do their job on background checks. The Complementary Spouse just submitted the paperwork to renew her own NC CHP. Included in the packet of paperwork were multiple releases authorizing the sheriff to get any mental health records from mental health providers. This was in addition to the requisite criminal background check.

Read the whole article.