Title: Background Checks for Firearm Transfers, 2009 - Statistical Tables

Publication Date: October 2010

What does it say?

From the inception of the Brady Act on March 1, 1994, through December 31, 2009, over 1.9 million gun purchase applications have been denied, up from 1.8 million through the end of 2008. 

In 2009, 150,000 attempts-to-purchase by dangerous people were blocked by Brady background checks. A felony conviction or indictment was the most common reason for a denial by a state (39%), a local agency (22%), or the FBI (49%) in 2009. A domestic violence misdemeanor conviction or restraining order was the second most common reason for denial by a state (14%) or local agency (16%) in 2009.

Records of persons ineligible to possess a firearm due to a mental health commitment or adjudication increased 37% in the NICS Index during 2009; overall, the number of records in the index increased 4%.

How can I use it?

Use this report to make the case that gun laws work by making it harder for dangerous people to get guns.  Urge legislators to extend this successful law to cover all gun sales, including those at gun shows, and to fund the NICS Improvement Act to increase the number of relevant records in the NICS system.

Citation

Bureau of Justice Statistics, Background Checks for Firearm Transfers, 2009 - Statistical Tables, October 20, 2010