National Instant
Criminal Background Check System (NICS)
Enrollment Instructions
[Forms] [General
Information] [Statutes
and Legislation] [Regulations]
[Links to Related Sites]
To enroll in the NICS and request NICS background checks, please print and complete
the FBI NICS Enrollment Form (pdf or html
version) and the FFL Acknowledgement of Responsibilities
Form (pdf) included on this web site. The completed forms may be mailed
to:
NICS Operations Center
FBI
Attn: Enrollment
P.O. Box 4278
Clarksburg, WV 26302-4278
or fax the form to (304) 625-0578.
The remaining form, entitled FFL Officer/Employee
Acknowledgement (pdf) should be printed and filled
out by any employees who will be conducting NICS checks on your
behalf. This form does not need to be returned to the FBI; retain
it for your records.
Responsibilities of a Federal Firearms
Licensee (FFL)
Under the
National Instant Criminal Background Check System
July 31, 1998
In accordance with
the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (BRADY), the National
Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) has been established
within the Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division
of the FBI for the purpose of performing instant background checks
on prospective firearms transferees. The following outlines certain
NICS-related responsibilities of each FFL. These responsibilities
also apply to an FFL's officers, employees, agents, or other representatives.
In the event of a conflict between this outline and a Federal
law or regulation, the provisions of the law or regulation shall
control.
An FFL is responsible for understanding and complying with the
Gun Control Act of 1968, as amended, Brady, 28 C.F.R. Part 25,
other applicable provisions of law or regulation, and other pertinent
policies, procedures, or guidance as have been or may be established
by the FBI (CJIS) or by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
(ATF).
USE
OF NICS
- Authorized use
of the NICS is limited to the purpose of obtaining information
on whether receipt of a firearm by a prospective transferee would
violate federal or state law.
- FFLs, their
officers, employees, agents, and/or other representatives are
permitted to request background checks of the NICS only for the
authorized purpose.
- Accessing or
using the NICS, or permitting access or use of the NICS by another,
for any unauthorized purpose is a violation of Federal law, sanctions
for which may include criminal prosecution; a civil fine not
to exceed $10,000, and/or cancellation of NICS inquiry privileges.
ACCESS
TO NICS
- Calls to the
NICS Operation Center may be initiated from any telephone including
pay and/or cellular phones. However, FFLs should understand the
risk of call interception and monitoring when using a cellular
phone.
- When enrolling
in the NICS, the FFL will select a codeword consisting of six
to ten alphabetical and/or numeric characters.
- FFLs are not
required to change their codeword; conversely, a codeword will
remain active indefinitely if there is no request for change.
However, FFLs are encouraged to change their codewords if they
suspect that unauthorized persons have gained knowledge of the
codeword, or that authorized personnel are misusing the system.
- FFLs shall limit
knowledge of their codeword to themselves, their officer(s),
employee(s), agent(s), and/or other representative(s) whose duties
include performing background checks in compliance with the Gun
Control Act, as amended.
DISCLOSURE
- FFLs may not disclose the NICS response ("PROCEED",
"DELAYED", or "DENIED", and NICS Transaction
Number [NTN] to persons other than (1) the prospective firearm
purchaser, (2) the FBI NICS Operations Center (or its) agent
or a participating State Point of Contact, (3) ATF, (4) authorized
representatives of the foregoing, or (5) others as authorized
by law.
AUDITS
- FFLs are required to accurately record the NTN they receive
in a NICS response on the appropriate ATF form for audit and
inspection purposes, consistent with the 27 CFR Part 178.124
record keeping requirements.
- FBI Supervisory staff will periodically monitor telephone
inquiries as an internal quality assurance measure as well as
to ensure proper use of the system.
FFL DATA INTEGRITY
- The FFL shall notify the FBI NICS Operations Center of changes
in contact information, such as telephone number or mailing address.
INDIVIDUAL'S REQUESTING NICS CHECKS ON THE FFL'S
BEHALF
- Individuals requesting NICS checks on the FFL's behalf (including
FFL officers, employees, agents, and/or other representatives)
shall understand and agree to abide by the security guidelines
outlined herein. Appendix A is provided as a tool that FFLs may
use to document such an individual's acknowledgment.
REPORTING BURDEN
- A person is not required to respond to any collection of
information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control
number. The FBI has created the Responsibilities of the FFL under
the NICS and the FFL Execution of Acknowledgment of Responsibilities
so they are easily understood and require the least possible
burden on you to provide us with information. The reporting burden
for collection of information on both the Responsibilities and
the Acknowledgment is computed as: 1) learning about the documents,
10 minutes; 2) completing the Acknowledgment, 5 minutes; 3) assembling,
mailing or faxing the form to the FBI, 3 minutes, for an estimated
average of 18 minutes per response. If you have comments regarding
the accuracy of the estimates, or suggestions for making this
form simpler, you can write to the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
NICS Operations Center, P.O. Box 4278, Clarksburg, West Virginia
26302-4278.
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- Federal Bureau of Investigation National Instant Criminal
Background Check System (NICS) Enrollment
Form (pdf)
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ENROLLMENT FORM ITEMS
1. FEDERAL FIREARMS LICENSE NUMBER - This is the 15 digit
number assigned by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.
2. CODE WORD - This is a code word of your choice to be
used as a verification of identity when you contact the NICS Program
Office. The code word MUST be between 6 and 10 characters in length,
and can include both numbers and letters. NO OBSCENE WORDS OR
PHRASES PLEASE.
3. NAME OF FEDERAL FIREARM LICENSEE - The name of the individual
or corporation licensed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and
Firearms to sell firearms.
4. LICENSE TYPE - TYPE 1 will be the Gun Dealer and TYPE
2 will be the Pawn Broker.
5. NAME OF LICENSEE BUSINESS - Store name.
6. STREET ADDRESS - Please fill in the entire mailing address
section. This is the street address of your licensed premise.
7. BUSINESS PHONE NUMBER - Please write the complete telephone
number including area code.
8. POINT OF CONTACT PERSON - This is the person the FBI
will call first when contacting your store. It is only needed
if different from the name of the licensee. This may be a store
manager or other responsible individual chosen by the licensee
to represent the licensee for NICS matters, including password
changes, billing questions, etc.
9. POINT OF CONTACT PHONE NUMBER - This is the telephone
number the FBI will call first when contacting your store. It
is only needed if different from the business phone number. Please
include area code.
10. BUSINESS FAX NUMBER - Please write the complete telephone
number including area code.
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