Terrorist Screening and Brady Background Checks for Firearms

Abstract

Historically, terrorist watch list checks were not part of the firearms background check process implemented pursuant to the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act. Such watch lists were not checked, because being a known or suspected terrorist is not a disqualifying factor for firearm transfer/possession eligibility under current federal or state law. Nevertheless, if a person is a known or suspected terrorist, it suggests that there may be an underlying factor (e.g., illegal immigration or fugitive status) that could bar him from legal firearms possession. For a time, moreover, all Brady background check records for approved firearm transfers were destroyed almost immediately, precluding the opportunity to used the background check system to screen for known and suspected terrorists.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 25, 2005
Accession Number
ADA444780

Entities

People

  • William J. Krouse

Organizations

  • Federation of American Scientists

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Commerce
  • Congress
  • Counterterrorism
  • Criminal Investigations
  • Criminals
  • Governments
  • Homeland Security
  • Law
  • Law Enforcement
  • Law Enforcement Officers
  • Personnel Management
  • Security
  • State Law
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • United States
  • Violence

Readers

  • Government and Public Administration Law.