Bill > H3569

This bill aims to improve the transmission of information for firearms background checks, specifically for the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), which is a federal system used to determine if a person is legally allowed to purchase or possess firearms. It mandates that state departments, including the Department of Mental Health and the administrative office of the trial court, transmit relevant information to the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services (DCJIS), which will then share it with the Attorney General of the United States for NICS purposes. This includes information about individuals adjudicated as mentally defective, involuntarily committed to mental institutions, or those with certain misdemeanor convictions involving domestic violence. The bill also establishes a subcommittee within the firearm licensing review board to handle petitions for relief from federal firearms prohibitions for individuals with past mental health adjudications or commitments, and requires the court to specify the basis for mental health commitments in its orders to allow for proper information sharing. Importantly, the bill clarifies that the information transmitted for these background check purposes will not be considered public records.