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FBI background checking system causes delays for local gun store owners
A snag within the background check system has many gun buyers waiting for approval. The Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI) recently updated their computer system. But it hasn’t gone as planned, causing delays for several local gun store owners.
It’s an election year, and for Old Town Gunslinger store owner Joe Morrell says, gun sales are on the rise. "If you've got a customer that's trying to buy a firearm and you can't sell it to them because you can't get the check done, it's kind of a big issue,” Morrell adds, “You feel bad for the customer, ‘Hey, he has a right to buy this firearm,’ and I can't sell it to them until I get this done."
NICS, the National Instant Criminal Background Check System is a database used by the FBI to do criminal check on any potential gun buyer. "If they find something, they flag you. If they don't, they pass you through,” said Morrell.
NICS recently updated their system causing minor delays for gun shop owners and customers. Morrell says, "We're kind of new to the E-Check system to begin with. We've only been using it for about six, seven months. It's a big system so when you update something like that it's gonna have some glitches here and there. So it kept locking us out."
Morrell says, going online is just the same as filling out this paper form, which has to be done both ways but, he says when a further review is required is when it gets time consuming. He says, “But if they get a further review you can get put on hold for 20 minutes. Then it's too late. You can't do the electronic way. You have to wait over the phone."
Morrell says for now, there’s only been a five to ten minute delay, but he’s well prepared, "You've always got an out. You've always got a phone call. So I don't see any foreseeable issues. You have two routes to go… one of them is always available to you."
KPVI reached out to the FBI to see what the issue was and they have yet to respond.
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