Nebraska’s Concealed Handgun Permit Satisfies Background Check Requirement According to BATFE!

On April 21, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) responded to the Nebraska State Patrol’s request to review the Concealed Handgun Permit Act, as amended by Legislative Bill 817. BATFE determined that the permit does qualify as an alternative to a redundant background check. BATFE will now send a letter to all Nebraska federal firearms licensees informing that any permit issued within the last five years will qualify for this exemption, as provided under the federal Brady law.

All individuals who apply for or renew a concealed carry permit must undergo a National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) inquiry.  Exempting valid concealed carry permit holders alleviates the redundancy of having to go through NICS for every firearm purchase or transfer from a gun dealer.  This saves dealers and their customers time while decreasing the administrative costs of NICS itself.

This victory is the direct result of last session’s NRA-backed LB 817 being enacted.  This monumental reform made a number of changes to Nebraska’s right-to-carry laws to meet the federal requirements under U.S.C. § 922(t)(3) and 27 C.F.R. § 478.102(d), which now allow concealed carry permit holders to be exempt from a redundant NICS background check. 

Thank you to all those who contacted their state Senator and the Governor during this process last year and contributed to this policy victory.