Gun safety bill aims to help states better enforce existing gun laws

A bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. Senate on Monday would require federal authorities to alert state officials when attempted gun purchases are denied because individuals don’t have legal rights to possess a firearm in an effort to better enforce existing gun laws.

Currently, federal authorities are alerted when a background check conducted through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) reveals that an individual isn’t legally allowed to possess a firearm. Thirteen states that operate their own background check systems using the NICS are alerted of “lie and try” attempts — but the remaining the 37 states are not.

U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Chris Coons (D-DE), and Bill Nelson (D-FL) introduced the NICS Denial Notification Act in an effort to help those 37 states better enforce existing gun laws.

Rubio said that the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, happened “because of multi-systematic failures.”

“While we work to ensure that our background check system contains the critical information necessary to be able to conduct an effective background check, we must also ensure that federal and state authorities are successfully communicating with one another when it comes to dangerous individuals and their attempts to acquire firearms,” Rubio said. “The NICS Denial Notification Act would not only require federal authorities to flag background check denials for state-level authorities, it would also hold these federal officials accountable. This would be a strong step forward in preventing future tragedies.”

Toomey added that “we can make progress on gun safety while respecting the Second Amendment rights of American citizens” by enforcing existing gun laws and responding to early warning signs of criminal behavior.

“We have to find ways to work across the aisle to reduce gun violence, and the NICS Denial Notification Act is one modest, common sense way to do that,” Coons added. “By ensuring that state and federal law enforcement are working together to prevent those who shouldn’t be able to buy a gun from getting one, we can make our communities safer. I’m hopeful this legislation can be part of Congress’s efforts to comprehensively address gun violence.”

Under the bill, the Department of Justice would also be required to publish an annual report on background check denial cases so that federal officials can be held accountable.