FBI Adding 2nd Database for Gun Background Checks

What’s the story?

• The Federal Bureau of Investigation is preparing to add the National Data Exchange, or N-DEx, to its vetting of potential gun buyers.
• An internal review at the FBI found that Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof would have been blocked from obtaining his firearm had examiners been able to access the N-DEx system.

Closing the “Charleston Loophole”

• Two months before the Charleston killings, Roof was able to buy a gun even though his prior, felony drug arrest should have prevented the purchase.
• The FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS, flagged Roof’s drug arrest, but the system did not provide sufficient details to automatically ban Roof from purchasing his firearm.
• This glitch became known by critics as the “Charleston Loophole.”

What is N-DEx?

N-DEx is managed by the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division. It houses:

• More than 400 million records.
• Incident/arrest reports.
• Booking and incarceration reports.
• Pre-trial, probation, and parole reports.
• Warrants.
• Tickets and citations.
• Field contacts and interviews.

What do you think?

Does a second gun background check system make you feel safer about firearm purchases? Or, as The Trace pointed out, are you concerned that if investigators "research some buyers more thoroughly using N-DEx, they may be unable to vet others at all"? Hit Take Action and tell your reps, then share your thoughts below.

—Josh Herman

(Photo Credit: gabe9000c / iStock)