Blumenthal (stolen valor) at it again.
https://www.ammoland.com/2020/07/below-the-radar-background-check-completion-act-of-2020/
https://www.ammoland.com/2020/07/below-the-radar-background-check-completion-act-of-2020/
Under current law, if NICS cannot be completed in three business days, a federally licensed dealer can still transfer a firearm. While the setup of NICS is not ideal, the current setup has several points that make it much fairer than various licensing and waiting period schemes:
- It presumes that someone seeking to buy a firearm is law-abiding.
- It places the burden to deny a firearms transaction on the government.
- It also does not subject someone trying to exercise their rights into an indefinite wait.
Blumenthal’s bill changes that. It removes the three business day limit on a delay. In other words, if there is a delay for whatever reason (NICS is down, confusion), a law-abiding citizen is denied the right to purchase a firearm until the delay gets resolved, and without the time limit, that can be potential for some serious, life-threatening abuse.