WSJ Article/States Move to Keep Guns From Fugitives

[SFC13557]

Can someone comment on this?
"Austin Texas-Dalton Broesche was wanted for felony assault in the Houston area , but he was able to buy an AR-15 rifle at a gun store here this summer and take it to a popular city park.
The purchase was legal because it took place in the same state where he was charged with a crime. Had Mr. Broesche crossed State lines to buy the firearm he would have been denied" The federal background check system can only flag fugitives who cross State lines, according to a Justice Dept. ruling 3 yrs ago that reversed a policy dating to when the FBI began conducting instant background checks in 1998.Since the change the number of gun purchases denied to fugitives has plummeted to 5,754 last year from 24,502 in 2016 ,according to the FBI"

 

[soloman02]

The Obama admin drafted the change but Trump admin implemented it. Thus both are to "blame" for the change.

According to the administration official, the decision to change the definition took place late last year under the Obama administration, after a review by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, but it was officially implemented under the Trump administration in February.

Tens of thousands of names were removed from the national criminal background check database this year after the FBI narrowed its interpretation of who is a “fugitive from justice,” according to an administration official.

Under the narrowed definition, in place since February, gun purchases can only be denied to fugitives who have crossed state lines to avoid prosecution for a crime or to avoid giving testimony in a criminal proceeding. The change makes it possible for someone with an outstanding warrant who would have previously been prohibited from buying a firearm to obtain one, unless barred for some other reason.

FBI Narrows Definition of Fugitive, Purging Thousands of Names From Gun Buying Background Check System

Tens of thousands of names were removed from the national criminal background check database this year after the FBI narrowed its interpretation of who is a “fugitive from justice,” acc…

ktla.com

 

[MaverickNH]

That was mostly about MA residents that had unpaid motor vehicle tickets and moved out of state, with MA classifying them as FFJs. Unscrewing what MA made appears to have let a few *real* threats off the hook.