jlf1961
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Joined: 6/10/2008
From: Somewhere Texas
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quote:
Gun-control rivals team up on bill to fix background-check database
Senators usually on opposite sides of the gun-control debate are teaming up on bipartisan legislation to improve the national background-check system by increasing how often states and federal agencies report offenses that would legally prohibit individuals from buying a firearm.
Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and John Cornyn (R-Tex.) are the main forces behind the legislation, which Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) also played a role in crafting. The trio is expecting to pull more Republican support for their measure before formally releasing it.
Their bill is narrow in its focus, reiterating and reinforcing the requirement that federal agencies report all infractions to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), and creating financial incentives for states to do so as well.
......
The problem isn’t confined to the military: The NICS database is missing millions of such records, according to an estimate by the National Rifle Association, citing a 2013 report from the National Consortium for Justice Information and Statistics that found “at least 25% of felony convictions . . . are not available.”
There goes the argument that the NRA wants zero changes in gun laws
“What our bill does is it attempts to fix that both at the federal level and provide additional incentives to the local states,” Cornyn said Wednesday. “It may be as simple as just getting them to do what they’re already required to do.”
Federal agencies are required to report various felonies, indictments and other crimes — including domestic assaults — into the federal database, but Congress has no power to compel states to do the same. The Murphy-Cornyn legislation would offer direct financial incentives, as well as favorable future access to other federal assistance programs, to states that report infractions into the system.
Here is an inaccuracy, as I stated before there are actually four crime databases operated by the Department of Justice.
There is the National Instant Criminal Background Check System that is used by gun retailers and is not mandatory.
There is the National Crime Information Center Database which is mandatory for all states and jurisdictions to participate in, which is not linked to the above database used by gun retailers for back ground checks which begs the question, why the fuck not?
This database includes warrants, protective orders, arrest records, etc. which is updated every time a court clerk enters any data in the court record systems, and includes everything from physical descriptions to finger prints.
Then there is the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification system, which is used for security, DoT back ground checks, and police departments for checking fingerprints at a crime scene, which is cross linked to the National Crime Information Center Database.
Finally, there is the National Crime Information Center, another mandatory participation database that has data provided by the FBI, federal, state, local and foreign criminal justice agencies, and authorized courts.
Okay, so we have four databases, three of which talk and play nice with each other, used primarily by police agencies and those running back ground checks for high sensitivity jobs and Commercial Driver's Licenses (if you need to know why this is done, figure trucks carry everything from hazardous waste to military ordinance, do you want a person with protective orders and convictions for violent crimes hauling military grade explosives?)
And the fourth which seems to be the red headed bastard step child in the mix, which is supposed to keep prohibited persons from buying guns.
Now, considering that each of these databases is stored on a large computer somewhere, using a server to allow outside access, which means you have to pay people to maintain said electronic equipment 24/7, and have to pay the cost of electricity to keep these things running....
Why the hell is it necessary to keep 4 independent databases in the first place?
And three of them predate the Instant Background system.
Would it not make sense to combine them all into one database?
While I applaud the effort, I dont think it goes far enough, and to pay states to input information already required by the other three makes no sense at all to me.
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Boy, it sure would be nice if we had some grenades, don't you think?
You cannot control who comes into your life, but you can control which airlock you throw them out of.
Paranoid Paramilitary Gun Loving Conspiracy Theorist AND EQUAL OPPORTUNI
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And the pro gun crowd want nothing done??? - 
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