Mike Levin: “on September 18, 2003, the Bureau of Justice Statistics released its annual report on the National Instant Criminal…”

“on September 18, 2003, the Bureau of Justice Statistics released its annual report on the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, also known as NICS. According to its report, approximately 136,000, or 1.7 percent, of the 7.8 million of the gun checks performed by the NICS system resulted in a denial. Since its inception, the NICS database has prevented approximately 976,000 individuals from illegally acquiring a firearm. The report went on to note that 66 percent of the rejections were due to a felony record or outstanding warrant, and about 14 percent were rejected for a domestic violence misdemeanor conviction or restraining order. Earlier this year, the Americans for Gun Safety Foundation released a report entitled, "The Enforcement Gap: Federal Gun Laws Ignored." The report analyzed the Justice Department's record enforcing and prosecuting gun laws. The report examined prosecution data acquired under the Freedom of Information Act from the Justice Department for fiscal years 2000 through 2002. The AGS study reveals a significant gap between the number of Federal gun crimes committed and the number of Federal prosecutions initiated. The report found that 20 of the 22 major Federal gun laws are rarely prosecuted.”