Dear Editor:

To read Mr. Rotondaro’s letter (Jan. 8 edition), you might think America needs a background check system for firearm purchases. The truth is America already has a background check system called NICS, but the anti-Second Amendment crowd has never let the truth stand in the way.

Instituted on Feb. 28, 1994, the NICS is part of the Brady Act which mandated that a background check be done for every firearm purchased from a licensed dealer. This system provides a database where felony records can be accessed automatically by dealers. Both federal and state departments provide felony data. It also can be used to store information on persons with mental illness but as of 2012 only 19 states have provided limited information either because of funding or due to HIPAA concerns. These background checks are completed for every firearm purchased from a federally licensed dealer whether that purchase is made in a store or at a gun show.

Online sales are handled through the same system. An online store is required to send any firearm to a licensed dealer to be picked up by the purchaser. At that time a NICS background check is performed for a fee.

In 2010 alone 72,600 people lied on the background check form (a felony) but only 44 were pursued by prosecutors, just .06 percent. When asked about this, Vice President Joe Biden said that we didn’t have the time or manpower to prosecute everyone that lies on a form. Between 2009 and 2011 Congress “appropriated just 5.3 percent of the total authorized amount” leaving the NICS underfunded. While the system is not perfect it would seem as though we should try to manage what we have before folks like Mr. Rotondaro start screaming for additional infringements.

Semper Armatus.

Linc Sample

Boothbay Harbor