Improved Record Sharing
Would Fill Critical Information Gaps in National “Do Not Sell” Database
WASHINGTON, DC - Rhode Island Congressmen Jim Langevin (D-RI) and
David Cicilline (D-RI), who both serve on the House Gun Violence Prevention
Task Force, described a Federal Bureau of Investigation report, released by Mayors Against Illegal
Guns, as a call to action. The report illustrated Rhode Island’s failure to
submit health records of individuals barred from purchasing handguns to the
National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Rhode Island ranked
among the lowest-performing states in the country, submitting fewer than 100
mental health records since the inception of the database under the Brady
Handgun Violence Prevention Act twenty years ago.
The Brady Handgun Violence
Prevention Act of 1993 requires an individual to pass a background check
through the NICS database before purchasing a firearm from a federally licensed
dealer, a process that typically takes 90 seconds. Data released last month by
the FBI, reflecting record submissions as of May 2013, shows that the NICS
remains incomplete, with hundreds of thousands of state and federal records
missing. According to the report, the omission of mental health records in the
NICS has created dangerous information deficiencies.
“This is an opportunity to educate ourselves on the deficiencies that exist within the NICS and strengthen gun violence prevention efforts in our state. It is critical that we take meaningful action to fill these information gaps and create a more effective background check process,” said Langevin. “I strongly believe that Rhode Island can strengthen its reporting requirements in a manner that respects the balance of privacy and public safety.”
Rhode Island law currently
prohibits the disclosure of mental health records without the express
permission of the patient or guardian. State lawmakers created a
20-member task force to examine Rhode Island’s participation in the NICS and
make recommendations to the General Assembly by January 31.
“As a founding member of
Mayors Against Illegal Guns, I strongly believe that commonsense measures, like
improving the NICS database, are the best methods to strengthen gun violence
prevention in Rhode Island and around the country,” said Cicilline. “Congress
needs to work with states to increase measures, like background checks, that
protect the public from violence, and I am committed to continue working with
the delegation to bring federal resources to improve reporting and bridging the
information gaps in these requirements here in our state.”
Earlier this year, Langevin
and Cicilline announced the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force’s
comprehensive policy principles designed to reduce gun violence while
respecting Second Amendment Rights of law-abiding Americans. The Congressmen
cosponsored the Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act (HR
1565), a bipartisan bill that brings all commercial firearm sales under the
background check system to prevent criminals and the mentally ill from slipping
through loopholes that endanger public safety. Langevin and Cicilline have
urged their colleagues in Congress to support this legislation, and other
efforts to strengthen funding for mental health and addiction treatment,
recognizing the important role these factors play in the conversation on gun
violence prevention.
