Lying and Buying: Using False Information to Obtain Firearms

Publication

Lying and Buying: Using False Information to Obtain Firearms

House Committee on Government Reform
;
Special Investigations Division

Abstract

The Special Investigations Division of the House Committee on Government Reform investigated the effectiveness of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System in preventing the sale or possession of firearms by felons, children, and other individuals who were prohibited from gun ownership. During undercover operations, agents had a 100% success rate in purchasing firearms with false forms of identification. The report concluded that there is a major flaw in the system as it only performs a "negative" check to determine if a criminal record is associated with the name, but it doesn't perform a "positive" check to determine if the name is real, or if it is the true identity of the purchaser.