Preventing Illegal Transactions
The National Instant Background Check System
Since the passage of the Gun Control Act in 1968, certain individuals, such as convicted felons, have been prohibited from possessing firearms under Federal law. Until the passage of the Brady Act in 1993, however, there was no mechanism to prevent these individuals from ob-taining firearms.Firearms were sold, even by Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs), on the "honor system.” Virtually the only recourse that Federal law enforcement had against felons and other prohibited people who sought to purchase firearms was to prosecute them after they gained illegal possession of the firearm. The Brady Act put an end to the "honor system”…
