U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BJS
MAY 22, 1996 202-307-0703
18 STATES WILL SHARE OVER $3.7 MILLION
IN JUSTICE DEPARTMENT GRANTS TO DEVELOP
ADVANCED BACKGROUND CHECK SYSTEMS
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- As a result of grants
awarded by the Justice Department today to
California, New York, Florida and 15 other states,
dangerous individuals -- such as persons subject
to domestic violence protective orders or drug
abusers -- will be kept from purchasing firearms.
These states, all with advanced criminal history
record systems, are committed to serving as models
for other states that have less advanced criminal
history records systems.
The awards are part of a larger sustained
effort, the National Criminal History Improvement
Program (NCHIP), to assist states in improving
their record systems. NCHIP, administered by the
Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), enables states
to identify persons ineligible to purchase
firearms or hold positions of responsibility with
children, the elderly and the disabled.
For the first time, this aspect of the NCHIP
program funds states so they can develop methods
to capture data on domestic violence and stalking
protective orders. In addition to the $1.5
million appropriated for the stalker provision of
the Violence Against Women Act, NCHIP funds for FY
1996 include $25 million appropriated under the
Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act and the
National Child Protection Act.
"These grants will help make sure that people
who pose a threat to their families or their
community cannot legally purchase firearms," said
BJS Director Jan Chaiken. "It's important to deny
easy access to firearms to spouse abusers and
mentally unstable individuals who may act on
impulse and cause further harm to their families
and the community. It's no less important to
help law enforcement officials do their job by
enhancing already effective computerized records
of arrests and convictions."t
"Federal law prohibits individuals from
obtaining firearms or ammunition if they are the
subject of a restraining order," added Bonnie J.
Campbell, Director of the Department of Justice's
Office of Violence Against Women. "This funding
will enable states to expedite enforcement of this
vital protection."
The states receiving awards will use these
funds to test and evaluate methods to store and
share information on non-felons prohibited from
purchasing firearms under federal or state law.
In addition, states will use a portion of the
funds to develop procedures to make data on these
individuals available on a national basis and to
explore methods to ensure the privacy and
confidentiality of the data.
To date, BJS has made awards totaling almost
$80 million under NCHIP to all 50 states, the
District of Columbia, and eligible territories.
This includes over $75 million to automate
criminal history record systems and improve the
accuracy, completeness, timeliness and
accessibility of criminal history records. These
improvements are helping states participate in the
FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check
Systems (NICS) and implement the grant provisions
of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act and
the National Child Protection Act of 1993.
The attached chart displays the 18 states
receiving awards, the amount of the state's
initial NCHIP award and the amount of the
NCHIP/ASAP award announced today.
STATE FY 95 NCHIP AWARD NCHIP/ASAP AWARD
ALASKA $ 825,675 $ 175,643
CALIFORNIA $ 3,405,542 $ 120,000
CONNECTICUT $ 638,191 $ 215,000
DELAWARE $ 962,400 $ 162,689
FLORIDA $ 2,894,331 $ 250,000
GEORGIA $ 1,500,000 $ 249,910
ILLINOIS $ 2,800,000 $ 250,000
MINNESOTA $ 1,487,300 $ 249,060
MISSOURI $ 1,619,570 $ 250,000
NEVADA $ 700,000 $ 240,000
NEW JERSEY $ 2,309,395 $ 249,473
NEW YORK $ 4,792,375 $ 250,000
NORTH CAROLINA $ 1,460,705 $ 245,000
NORTH DAKOTA $ 556,365 $ 141,497
OHIO $ 2,178,241 $ 232,330
OREGON $ 1,300,000 $ 226,850
SOUTH
CAROLINA $ 1,145,955 $ 147,065
UTAH $ 642,653 $ 50,000
TOTAL $3,704,517
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BJS 96-67
After Hours Contact: Doug Johnson 202/616-3230
END OF FILE
Date Published: May 22, 1996