National Instant Criminal Background Check System
Determining Eligibility for the Purchase of Firearms
As a result of the passage of the Gun Control Act of 1968, certain individuals, such as convicted felons, were prohibited from possessing firearms. To strengthen Federal firearms regulations, the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 (Brady Act) required the U.S. attorney general to establish the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) for Federal Firearms Licensees (FFL) to contact by telephone, or other electronic means, for information to be supplied immediately as to whether the transfer of a firearm would violate Federal or State law. The FBI developed the NICS through a cooperative effort with the Bureau of Alcohol,…
