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Capitol Hill sources have informed NRA that a draft proposal on gun show restrictions is being circulated by members of the House-Senate conference committee working on the juvenile justice reform legislation. Unfortunately, the language poses some concerns for NRA and law-abiding gun owners. Where the Dingell amendment set a maximum time limit of 24 hours for any checks delayed by the National Instant Check System (NICS), the draft proposal creates the potential for codifying an extended three-day waiting period, rather than an instant check. While the draft language limits the time period for resolving most delayed background checks at gun shows to 24 hours, it allows for exemptions in certain cases. Unfortunately, the FBI is using databases which contain data, such as arrest records without records of final dispositions, which are irrelevant to the purposes of NICS. Only convictions, not arrests, are disqualifiers for gun ownership. Additionally, contrary to its own NICS regulations, the FBI has accepted flawed state data which are not useful in determining eligibility of firearms purchasers. In order to accommodate the problems created by this data, the FBI administratively created an option to "delay" checks which would have been clearly approved or denied if the system had been constructed as originally intended. It is critical that you continue to call the conference committee members considering the juvenile justice legislation, as well as both your U.S. Senators and your U.S. Representative, to ensure that no anti-gun language is included in the conference committee^s final "compromise" legislation. You can call your two Senators at (202) 224-3121 and your Representative at (202) 225-3121. For contact information on conference committee members, call ILA Grassroots at (800) 392-8683.

Uploaded: 10/30/1999