Quigley Amendment to Strengthen Background Check System Passes the House

WASHINGTON – Today, an amendment offered by U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (D-IL) to strengthen the National Instant Criminal Background Checks System (NICS) passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 260-145-1, making it the first gun violence related legislation to pass this Congress.

The amendment provides an additional $19.5 million to help states improve their submissions into the criminal background checks system with complete and timely information that keeps firearms out of the hands of individuals who should not possess guns.

The bipartisan amendment offered by Reps. Quigley, Mike Thompson (D-CA), Pete King (R-NY), Elizabeth Esty (D-CT), Joe Heck (R-NV) and Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA) brings NICS funding for Fiscal Year 2015 to $78 million.

"At a time when young people from Chicago to Santa Barbara can't even go to school without the threat of violence, Congress has finally recognized its responsibility to keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of dangerous people," said Rep. Quigley. "This critical funding will strengthen our background check system and help close the information gap that allows criminals and the dangerously mentally ill to slip through the cracks and buy guns."

Every day the background checks system stops more than 170 felons, some 50 domestic abusers and nearly 20 fugitives from buying a gun. However, the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), the database used to determine whether or not a prospective buyer is eligible to buy a firearm, is missing valuable information.

Because of this gap, dangerous people who otherwise wouldn't pass a background check can slip through the cracks and buy guns.

• A recent USA Today report found that in just five states, records for at least 2.5 million fugitives weren't entered into the NICS system.
• According to a recent report by Everytown, 12 states have still submitted fewer than 100 mental health records to the NICS system.
• According to the Department of Justice, six states have fewer than 30 total records each in the NICS system in all prohibited categories combined.

Last year, Congress increased funding to almost $59 million. However, $20 million in requests from states went unfunded.

This amendment, which is fully paid for, was included as part of H.R. 4660, the FY 2015 Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) Appropriations bill.

The amendment is supported by Everytown for Gun Safety, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, Sandy Hook Promise, Third Way, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, the National Education Association, Americans for Responsible Solutions, the National Parent Teachers Association, the Union for Reform Judaism, the Washington Office on Latin America, States United to Prevent Gun Violence, Moms Rising and the American Federation of Teachers.

Rep. Quigley believes gun violence in Chicago demands federal action and is the author of the TRACE Act, which cracks down on the illegal gun market by improving gun tracking data. He recently used his position on the House Appropriations Committee to fight for increased funding for police officer hiring grants and the removal of controversial legislation that prohibits the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) from requiring gun dealers to conduct annual inventory inspections and report missing or stolen weapons

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