National Instant Criminal Background Check System

The National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) is a background check system in the United States created by the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (Brady Law) of 1993 to prevent firearm sales to people prohibited under the Act. The system was launched by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 1998. Under the system, firearm dealers, manufacturers or importers who hold a Federal Firearms License (FFL) are required to undertake a NICS background check on prospective buyers before transferring a firearm. The NICS is not a gun register, but is a list of persons prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm. The buyer’s details are discarded after the query and a record on NICS of the firearm purchase is not made, though the seller as a FFL holder is required to keep a r

National Instant Criminal Background Check System

The National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) is a background check system in the United States created by the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (Brady Law) of 1993 to prevent firearm sales to people prohibited under the Act. The system was launched by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 1998. Under the system, firearm dealers, manufacturers or importers who hold a Federal Firearms License (FFL) are required to undertake a NICS background check on prospective buyers before transferring a firearm. The NICS is not a gun register, but is a list of persons prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm. The buyer’s details are discarded after the query and a record on NICS of the firearm purchase is not made, though the seller as a FFL holder is required to keep a r