This report, prepared by the Regional Justice Information Service (REJIS), provides an overview of the implementation of the Brady Act in its first two decades.
This publication by the Regional Justice Information Service (REJIS), funded by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, reports on the first twenty years of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act period from 1999 to 2018. The report summarizes the number of applications for firearm transfers and permits; denials that resulted from background checks; as well as reasons for denial, rates of denial, appeals of denials, and arrests of denied persons during the permanent Brady Act period. Statistics are presented at the FBI, state, and local levels. The report also summarizes changes in federal and state laws and regulations related to firearm sales. Statistical highlights are presented in the body of the report, and complete details are included in an appendix. Changes in federal and state laws related to firearm transfers are also summarized. The Brady Act requires a background check on an applicant for a firearm purchase from a dealer who is a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL). The federal Brady Act was enacted in 1993 to prevent transfers of firearms to persons who are prohibited by law from receiving or possessing a firearm. The core requirement of the Brady Act is that a person who applies to purchase a firearm from a licensed dealer must undergo a background check. If the check finds a record of a felony conviction or another prohibition, the application must be denied. The permanent provisions of the Brady Act became effective on November 30, 1998, and the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) was established, enabling certain state and local agencies to access records of persons who are prohibited from receiving or possessing a firearm. The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) began the Firearm Inquiry Statistics (FIST) program in 1995 to provide national estimates of the total number of firearm applications received and denied.