Civic Register
| 12.27.17

Cities Sue Pentagon Over Gun Checks

Join us and tell your reps how you feel!

What’s the story?

New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco are suing the Department of Defense for failing to report criminal convictions of service members to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s gun background check system.

National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) reporting is required for all federal agencies, including the military.

Why does it matter?

The lawsuit follows the mass shooting at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, by Devin Patrick Kelley. Kelley had been convicted in a military court of domestic assault while in the Air Force, but it wasn’t reported to the NICS.

This conviction should have prevented Kelley from purchasing a gun.

The Pentagon has acknowledged the severity of their reporting lapses.

"There’s really no excuse," the Pentagon’s acting inspector general, Glenn A. Fine, told a Senate committee earlier this month. Military investigators recently discovered that nearly one in three court-martial convictions – which should have barred defendants from purchasing guns – had gone unreported.

The lawsuit seeks a court order to force the Pentagon to submit to federal court monitoring of its reporting requirements.

"This failure on behalf of the Department of Defense has led to the loss of innocent lives by putting guns in the hands of criminals and those who wish to cause immeasurable harm," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

What do you think?

The Pentagon had no comment on the lawsuit, but we want to hear yours. Will federal oversight reduce the chances of another massacre like that in Sutherland Springs? Should the military have additional NICS restrictions and requirements? Hit Take Action and tell your reps, then share your thoughts below.

—Josh Herman

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(Photo Credit: DmyTo / iStockphoto)