DOJ Final Rule Lets Licensed Gun Dealers Voluntarily Run Federal Background Checks on Employees, Effective November 27
The U.S. Department of Justice announced a final rule on October 30 authorizing federal firearms licensees (FFLs) to voluntarily use the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to run background checks on certain current and prospective employees. The rule implements a provision of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and takes effect 30 days after publication in the Federal Register, on November 27.
Until now, Justice Department regulations barred FFLs from contacting NICS for any purpose other than a proposed firearm transfer. Under the final rule, an FFL may submit Firearm Handler Background Checks (FHCs) on eligible employees, including firearm handlers, employees of licensed manufacturers with access to unfinished components or manufacturing tools, and contractors or agents whose duties give them access to firearms, ammunition, or components. Responsible persons of an FFL are excluded because they already undergo ATF vetting.
Participation is optional and requires the employee's written consent. NICS searches the same databases used for firearm transfers — the NICS Indices, the National Crime Information Center, and the Interstate Identification Index — and the FFL receives only a transaction number and one of three responses. Generally, one check per employee is allowed every 12 months unless there is reasonable cause to believe a prohibiting event has occurred. The FBI charges no fee, and ATF will issue separate guidance on documenting the checks.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：枪械零售店内景（资料图）。Proarms Armory 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / A firearms retail store (file photo). By Proarms Armory, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
