Background Checks for Firearm Transfers, 2012 - Statistical Tables

• NCJ Number: 247815
• Author(s): Jennifer C. Karberg; Ronald J. Frandsen; Joseph M. Durso; Allina D. Lee
• Date Published: December 2014
• Length: 20 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2011-BJ-CX-K017
• Sponsoring Agency: Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)
• Corporate Author: Regional Justice Information Service
• Publication Format: Document; Document (Online)
• Publication Type: Statistics; Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: This report is part of BJS' Background Checks for Firearm Transfers Series. Lynne McConnell of Lockheed Martin and Jill Thomas edited the report. Tina Dorsey and Barbara Quinn produced the report. The Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of Justice is the principal federal agency responsible for measuring crime, criminal victimization, criminal offenders, victims of crime, correlates of crime, and the operation of criminal and civil justice systems at the federal, state, tribal, and local levels. BJS collects, analyzes, and disseminates reliable and valid statistics on crime and justice systems in the United States, supports improvements to state and local criminal justice information systems, and participates with national and international organizations to develop and recommend national standards for justice statistics.

Annotation

This Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) report details background checks for firearm transfers conducted in 2012, and statistical tables for the estimated number of firearm applications and denials since the inception of the Brady Act in 1994 through 2012.

Abstract

Describes background checks for firearm transfers conducted in 2012. These statistical tables provide the estimated number of firearm applications and denials since the inception of the Brady Act in 1994 through 2012. The tables include estimates of applications and denials conducted by each type of approval system from 1999 to 2012 and provides state-level estimates for application and denial rates. The tables also provide data on reasons for denial. The Bureau of Justice Statistics Firearm Inquiry Statistics program annually surveys state and local checking agencies to collect information on firearm background check activity and combines this information with FBI NICS transaction data.

• Since the inception of the Brady Act on March 1, 1994, through December 31, 2012, nearly 148 million applications for firearm transfers or permits were subject to background checks. More than 2.4 million applications (1.6%) were denied (table 1).
• There were 15.7 million applications for firearm transfers in 2012, an increase of more than 5 million applications since 2010.
• About 1.2% of the 15.7 million applications for firearm transfers or permits in 2012 were denied—about 88,000 by the FBI and nearly 104,000 by state and local agencies (table 2).
• Among state agencies, denial rates in 2012 were 2.3% for purchase permits, 1.5% for instant checks, 1% for other approvals, and 0.9% for exempt carry permits (table 3).