by Jason Morris

Gun control articles always spark a nice debate on our blog.  This Newsweek article lends to the stance our industry has had for years.  A quality criminal background check must be conducted at the county level.  Criminal records get diluted the further you get away from the source.  Relying on a Statewide or FBI record check sets your system up for failure.

NICS databases are “very complete” when it comes to tracking fugitives from justice, felony indictments and convictions, dishonorable discharges and some other factors that disqualify a person from purchasing a firearm. However, it appears that a lot of critical data gathered at the local level, involving things like restraining orders and commitments to mental institutions, are not filtering up to the federal level.

The Science of Gun Control
Local background checks are more effective at reducing suicides and homicides than federal checks.

There’s nothing simple about gun control, a tangle of legal, political and public-health issues complicated by cultural preferences and regional biases. Passions run high on all sides. Lifelong hunters who grew up with firearms, urban victims of gun violence, Second Amendment scholars, NRA lobbyists, chiefs of police—they’ve all got cases to make and they make them well, often contentiously.

For the past 15 years, much of the debate has centered on the effectiveness of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, the federal gun-control bill that was passed in 1993. Critics say the focus on law-abiding gun buyers doesn’t address the real issue—bad guys who acquire their weapons illegally. Supporters say that the bill stops thousands of illegal gun purchases and deters crime and violence. Now medical research has come to the rescue, sifting through the data to figure out which legal measures work best to reduce firearm suicides and homicides.

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by Jason Morris

We have talked about redaction of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in the past, mostly relating to criminal records.  This article shows the effect having too little information in public records.  Not having enough PII is a slippery slope causing those with common names to suffer. Background screening can be difficult if we are not given the proper tools to do our job!

The Name Game
The FBI’s incompetence is punishing immigrants who play by the rules.

WHAT’S IN a name? For Ali Rahimian, it may be the difference between a quick path to citizenship and a two-year sentence to immigration purgatory. Dr. Rahimian has lived in the Washington area for 17 years, and, among other useful pursuits, has helped operate a free clinic for people who lack medical insurance. Two years ago, Dr. Rahimian, who was born in Iran, applied to become a U.S. citizen. His application was sent to the FBI for what should have been a routine background check, and Dr. Rahimian said he has not heard from the bureau since.

The applications of hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants such as Dr. Rahimian are mired in FBI bureaucracy, according to a recent audit by the Justice Department inspector general. The audit found that the FBI’s National Name Check Program, designed to be a security vetting of immigrants applying to be citizens, is relying on outdated technology and poorly trained workers. Some immigrants awaiting resolution are denied the right to work or to study. And, significant in an election year, they are denied the chance to vote.

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