FY 2018 NICS Act Record Improvement Program (NARIP)

(Solicitation)
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) is publishing this notice to announce the
continuation of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Act
Record
Improvement Program (NARIP) in fiscal year (FY) 2018, identify the program
priorities,
and provide information on application requirements.

The NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007, Pub. L. 110-180 (NIAA or the Act), was
signed into law on January 8, 2008, in the wake of the April 2007 shooting tragedy
at
Virginia Tech. The Virginia Tech shooter was able to purchase firearms from a
Federal
Firearms Licensee (FFL) because information about his prohibiting mental health
history
was not available to the NICS, and the system was therefore unable to deny the
transfer
of the firearms used in the shootings. The NIAA seeks to address the gap in
information
available to NICS about such prohibiting mental health adjudications and
commitments,
and other prohibiting factors. Filling these information gaps will better enable
the
system to operate as intended to keep guns out of the hands of persons prohibited
by
federal or state law from receiving or possessing firearms. The automation of
records
will also reduce delays for law- abiding persons to purchase firearms.
All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on May 14, 2018.