DOJ Grant to Strengthen SC Gun Background Checks

The Department of Justice –Office of Justice Programs has awarded the S.C. Law Enforcement Division over $900,000 in the form of a federal grant to improve the National Instant Criminal Background Check System [NICS].  

The NICS system is used in part to verify that an individual seeking to purchase a firearm is not prohibited from owning a firearm.  

Recent events in South Carolina and across the nation have focused attention on the urgent need to close the information gap in the background check process for mental health adjudications.  

U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles said, “Persons who have been adjudicated as mentally ill or committed to a mental health institution cannot legally possess a gun, nor should they be able to.  This federal grant will help state, local, and federal law enforcement enforce that prohibition and make South Carolina a safer place.”