The National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) is a point-of-sale system for determining eligibility to purchase a firearm in the United States of America. Federal Firearms License (FFL) holders are generally required by law to use the NICS to determine if it is legal to sell a firearm to a prospective purchaser. Mandated by the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 and launched by the FBI on November 30, 1998, NICS determines if the buyer is prohibited from buying a firearm under the Gun Control Act of 1968. It is linked to the National Crime Information Center and the Interstate Identification Index among other databases maintained by the FBI.[1]
National Instant Criminal Background Check System - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
If I understood it correctly, NICS was launched in 1998. How did FFLs check buyers background before?
Also, it seems that before the Gun Control Act of 1968 no one was prohibited from owning a gun at all. Is that right? Any felon or psycho before 1968 could buy any gun no questions asked? Old timers, can you confirm?
So how was buyers' backgrounds checked between 1968 and 1998?
National Instant Criminal Background Check System - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
If I understood it correctly, NICS was launched in 1998. How did FFLs check buyers background before?
Also, it seems that before the Gun Control Act of 1968 no one was prohibited from owning a gun at all. Is that right? Any felon or psycho before 1968 could buy any gun no questions asked? Old timers, can you confirm?
So how was buyers' backgrounds checked between 1968 and 1998?