Louisiana NICS Act Record Improvement Program

The NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007, Pub. L. 110-180 ("NICS Improvement Act"), was signed into law by the President on January 8, 2008. The NICS Improvement Act amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 ("the Brady Act") (Pub. L. 103-159), under which the Attorney General established the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). The Brady Act requires Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) to contact the NICS before transferring a firearm to an unlicensed person for information on whether the proposed transferee is prohibited from receiving or possessing a firearm under state or federal law. The NICS Improvement Act authorizes grants to be made in a manner consistent with the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP).

Under this award, the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement (LCLE) will improve the data quality of criminal history records and the reporting of mental health records to NICS by:

1) Increasing the number of courts reporting felony convictions and mental health records to NICS;

2) Providing a standardized charge code file for use statewide by district attorneys; and,

3) Establishing a NICS Record Improvement Task Force to work with the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) to begin reporting legacy mental health information to NICS.

In addition, LCLE will use some funds to render the services of a Criminal Justice Policy Planner to assist in coordinating the activities of the NICS Record Improvement Task Force.

CA/NCF