Be Wary of Media Reports. We All Agree -- Let's Fix NICS

Be wary of a national news media in search of information they work hard to find that fits a pre-existing narrative. Ever since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, reporters have been trying to drive a wedge between organizations that speak up for the Second Amendment. They often find support for their efforts from anti-gun organizations and politicians. After all, conflict makes news.

As the trade association for the firearms and ammunition industry, the National Shooting Sports Foundation believes that the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) needs to be fixed to include more state criminal and mental health records. NSSF and its member companies believe that NICS plays a vital role in keeping firearms out of the hands of those who should not have them. The industry has long supported improvements to the NICS system.

An article is today's Washington Post incorrectly implies that this position puts NSSF at odds with the National Rifle Association. There is no conflict.

As NSSF president Steve Sanetti points out in this video, "Regarding so-called universal background checks, or background checks that extend beyond retail sales or to private transfers such as a father passing on a favorite hunting rifle to his son, our big concern is one shared by millions of firearms owners -- that enforcing checks of used firearm transfers between individuals will lead to the creation of a national registry of firearms, something that Congress has expressly prohibited.

"In addition, the current background check system would need to be greatly expanded at huge cost to handle the additional checks.

"Canada is actually in the process of dismantling its expensive and inefficient rifle and shotgun registry because it takes up police time better used elsewhere. We also have concerns related to the woeful lack of prosecutions of persons flagged by NICS as prohibited from purchasing a firearm, as well as concerns about imposing on firearms retailers increased regulatory burdens and exposure to liability for merchandise they didn't even sell."