Updated:At Least 33 Dead in Va. Tech Shooting

[Lady Brave]

I will add this though. VA is a full POC (point of contact). Which means that they require all applicants to submit to a background check by the state for all firearms transfers/purchases. It is much better for the state to conduct the background checks than relying on NICS. NICS is somewhat limited in their access to state court records. They rely on us to notify them of someone who has committed an offense at the state level which might qualify as a federal prohibitor.

If some states aren't notifying NICS of these offenses then there can be problems. For example, someone convicted of a domestic violence offense may slip through the cracks if the state didn't notify NICS of the conviction. So the applicant could travel to another state where they only perform a NICS check by the dealer calling the 1-800 number. If NICS has not been notified of the conviction then viola, the wife beater now has gun. If all the states contributed their records to NICS like they should be, then those convictions would be in the national database and I would be alerted to that person's record in another state and possibly be able to deny them.

How background checks are performed vary state to state and all the various laws between the feds and the states can drive you crazy. But we are doing the best we can.