BUYING
FIREARMS IN AMERICA
What the Numbers Say
06/21/04
We just took a look
at the quarterly stats from our National Instant Criminal Background Check
System (NICS) program--the program that instantly determines whether a
prospective gun buyer is eligible to buy firearms.
We thought you'd be
interested in these stats too.
During January, February,
and March of this year, a total of 2,156,952 people went to a store
in America and asked to buy a firearm. Before ringing up the sale,
cashiers abided by the law by calling in a check to the FBI or to other
designated agencies to make sure each customer was eligible to make the
purchase. The FBI got 1,129,588 of those calls.
Of the calls
to us, how many people would you guess had their requests denied? A
total of 15,794--a pretty hefty number.
Who were they
and why were they denied? Here's the breakdown:
- 13,112
were denied because they had a prior conviction for a crime punishable
by a minimum of one year in jail.
- 822
were denied because they had a domestic violence restraining order
filed against them.
- 776
were denied because they were fugitives from justice.
- 464
were denied from the standing NICS file, a file made up of persons
already designated as being federally prohibited from buying a firearm.
- 294
were denied because they were illegal aliens.
- 326
were denied for a variety of other reasons (these can include mental
defectives and people who have renounced their U.S. citizenship or
been given dishonorable discharges from the U.S. Armed Forces).
What about those
fugitives from justice trying to buy a gun? Do they end up getting arrested? All
the time!
You can find out more
about NICS inside. And while you're there,
check out other law enforcement services provided by our Criminal Justice
Information Services Division: things like--
