Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN News

Default Proceeds Replaced by Default Infringement

Friday, March 8, 2019

Default Proceeds Replaced by Default Infringement

For most people, a NICS check is instantaneous or at least expedient. Other people are subject to a delay, which is best explained by the FBI itself:

“When a NICS background check matches a record to the prospective firearms transferee, the NICS Section determines if a federal prohibitor exists. However, if a federal prohibitor does not exist, the NICS Section employee processing the background check must further review the record match(es) to determine if any applicable state law renders the prospective firearms transferee prohibited.”

That quote is from the FBI’S 2017 NICS Operations Report, as is this statement about what happens after the three days: “When a NICS transaction is delayed, the Brady Act allows the FFL [Federal Firearms Licensee] to legally transfer the firearm if the NICS transaction is not resolved within three business days. However, the NICS Section continues to search for the information necessary to make a final determination until the transaction is purged prior to 90 days.”

Gun control advocates want this to be known as the “Charleston Loophole” and ignore the fact that the check continues for up to 90 days. The FFL may transfer the firearm after the three days if the check has not concluded – the “default proceed.” If the FBI finds that the buyer is a prohibited person after the three-day period, they determine if the transfer was made and refer the case to the ATF for firearms retrieval. In other words: if, at any point during the 90 days, the FBI finds the record that shows the buyer is prohibited from owning a firearm, the ATF is sent to get the gun.

That’s how coverage of the so-called “loophole” should be framed. But it isn’t and the data tells the real story – at least once you look at all of the data.

We’ve covered the Charleston aspect of this fallacy in another article, so let’s look at the data. Earlier this week, ThinkProgress ran an “exclusive” that “shows the size of the problem.” Remember, ThinkProgress is tied to the Center for American Progress founded by John Podesta, who held senior roles in the Clinton and Obama Administrations before serving as Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager in 2016.

ThinkProgress looked exclusively at the number of cases in which a NICS background check took longer than three days. There were 310,232 transactions for which the background check was not complete after the third business day in 2017, or nearly three times more than the number of total denials in 2017 (103,985).

Readers may wonder how many of those total denials took longer than three business days. The answer is 6,004. ThinkProgress acknowledges that 6,004 delayed transactions were referred to the ATF for firearm retrieval, but fail to connect these referrals with the number of total delayed transactions or the number of total denials. If 98.1% of all default proceeds for 2017 involved a non-prohibited person, then perhaps the problem rests within the quality of the records or the resources dedicated to resolving the delayed transactions. Of course, improving the quality of the records would reduce the strain on resources and allow more checks to be completed immediately. But ThinkProgress and other gun control advocates want to frame this as some kind of loophole as they’re trying to expand the infringement on law-abiding Americans’ rights. The FBI doesn’t need more time to complete background checks – they need to be able to spend less time on background checks for non-prohibited persons.

The overwhelming majority of “default proceeds” involve people who are able to possess firearms but are delayed by an understaffed system. The scope of the “Charleston loophole” is really the scope of Americans who have their rights delayed.

 

 

 

 

TRENDING NOW
Last Chance for Gun Owners to Ask U.S. House to Amend the Reconciliation Bill

News  

Monday, May 19, 2025

Last Chance for Gun Owners to Ask U.S. House to Amend the Reconciliation Bill

The U.S. House of Representatives has another chance to amend the current Reconciliation Bill making its way through Congress. The Reconciliation Bill would currently rescind the unconstitutional tax on suppressors, but it doesn’t remove them ...

Trump DOJ Settles Lawsuits Involving Forced Reset Triggers

News  

Monday, May 19, 2025

Trump DOJ Settles Lawsuits Involving Forced Reset Triggers

On Friday, May 16, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the settlement of several lawsuits arising from the Biden-Harris regime’s attempt to reclassify forced reset triggers (FRTs) as “machineguns.” DOJ’s announcement cited President Trump’s Executive Order Protecting ...

Clueless Anti-gun Democrats Dig Themselves an Ever Deeper Hole

Monday, May 19, 2025

Clueless Anti-gun Democrats Dig Themselves an Ever Deeper Hole

Anyone reading the firearm-related news these days is reminded that anti-gun Democrats appear oblivious to the blunt message sent by millions of American voters last fall. Despite Democrat presidential candidate Kamala Harris blowing through a mountain ...

Another Court Determines Magazines Aren’t “Arms” in Upholding Arbitrary Limits

News  

Monday, May 19, 2025

Another Court Determines Magazines Aren’t “Arms” in Upholding Arbitrary Limits

Last week, the Washington State Supreme Court upheld the state’s ban on magazines that hold over ten rounds, overturning a lower court order that had deemed it unconstitutional. The 7-2 decision in State v. Gator’s Custom ...

House Committee on Ways and Means Advances Legislation Involving Suppressors

News  

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

House Committee on Ways and Means Advances Legislation Involving Suppressors

Early this morning, The House Committee on Ways & Means, led by Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO-08) finished a markup of their section of the Reconciliation Bill. Included in this legislation was a provision which would ...

Rocky Times for Gun Owners in the Rocky Mountain State

News  

Tuesday, May 13, 2025

Rocky Times for Gun Owners in the Rocky Mountain State

As the Colorado legislative session closes, its 2025 edition will long be remembered and lamented as a historic assault on the Second Amendment.

Illinois: Legislation to Shut Down Gun Manufacturers in Committee Tomorrow

Tuesday, May 13, 2025

Illinois: Legislation to Shut Down Gun Manufacturers in Committee Tomorrow

Tomorrow, the House Gun Violence Prevention Committee will hear House Bill 3320, a dangerous proposal that could effectively shut down firearm manufacturing in Illinois. Please use the Take Action button below to contact committee members and ...

Arizona: Governor Hobbs Vetoes Three Pro-Gun Bills Passed by Legislature

Friday, May 16, 2025

Arizona: Governor Hobbs Vetoes Three Pro-Gun Bills Passed by Legislature

Despite strong support from the Arizona Legislature, Governor Katie Hobbs has vetoed Senate Bills 1014, 1020, and 1143, each of which sought to protect and enhance the rights of law-abiding gun owners in the Grand Canyon ...

Is Hogg’s time up at the DNC?

News  

Monday, May 19, 2025

Is Hogg’s time up at the DNC?

The last time we mentioned David Hogg, he had been selected to be a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), and wasted no time making some (many?) regret that choice. Why? Because one of ...

Trump Administration Revives Federal Firearm Rights Restoration Provision

News  

Friday, March 21, 2025

Trump Administration Revives Federal Firearm Rights Restoration Provision

On March 20, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) published an interim final rule entitled, Withdrawing the Attorney General’s Delegation of Authority. That bland title belies the historic nature of the measure, which is aimed at reviving ...

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.