Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN News

Biden’s FBI Boasts About its Young Adult Waiting Period

Monday, April 1, 2024

Biden’s FBI Boasts About its Young Adult Waiting Period

When it comes to law-abiding adults ages 18-20, the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) should be renamed the Never Instant Criminal Background Check System. An article posted to the FBI’s website on March 25 shows how the agency uses the ill-named Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022 (BSCA) to impose a waiting period on young adult gun buyers.

Under the BSCA, when a Federal Firearms Licensee (gun dealer or FFL) contacts NICS to run a background check on a purchaser under the age of 21, NICS is required to contact additional state and local government agencies in the prospective purchaser’s jurisdiction before approving the firearm transfer. This includes the state agency responsible for juvenile criminal justice records, the state custodian of mental health records, and the “local law enforcement agency of the jurisdiction in which the person resides.”

These queries take time. Further, unlike NICS, these state and local agencies are not necessarily designed or equipped to handle these types of requests in an instant or even timely fashion. In fact, as made clear in the U.S. Supreme Court case Printz v. U.S. (1997), the federal government cannot compel the states to participate in its gun control regime at all. Therefore, no law-abiding 18-20-year-old adult experiences an instant background check.

Prior to the enactment of the BSCA, in cases where the NICS system flagged an individual as possibly having a prohibiting record, the FBI had 3-business days to determine whether the person was in fact prohibited before the firearm transfer was allowed to proceed. In the case of young adults ages 18-20, the BSCA demands that NICS extend the 3-business day check period to 10 business days (two full weeks) if “cause exists to further investigate a possibly disqualifying juvenile record.” The requisite “cause” to prompt the 10-business day waiting period is not defined by the legislation.

NRA-ILA warned gun owners and policymakers back in 2022 that the BSCA eliminated instant background checks for young adults and would be used by the Biden administration to create a waiting period regime. Despite the obvious implications of the bill, proponents of the BSCA claimed the gun control measure “does not create any mandatory waiting periods.”

According to the FBI, since the BSCA took effect over 200,000 young adults have been encumbered by the never-instant checks. The agency stated that the average waiting period for a law-abiding young adult to be cleared by the never-instant check is “about 4 days.”

Recall, the new under-21 background check procedure sends NICS on an open-ended fishing expedition for potentially prohibiting records – even when they don’t exist. Therefore, perversely, the system is quicker to deny gun purchasers - “about 2 days” – than to allow a lawful firearm transaction to proceed.

Aside from the waiting period, the BSCA background check scheme poses another threat to gun owners.

Federal law (18 USC 922) prohibits firearm possession by a person who “has been convicted in any court of, a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.” Note the term “convicted.” Under a proper interpretation of federal law, many juvenile adjudications may not meet the criteria for a federal firearms prohibition.

As explained on a government website that describes the features of the juvenile justice system, the “process operates according to the premise that youth are fundamentally different from adults, both in terms of level of responsibility and potential for rehabilitation.” The juvenile system is typically more informal and less focused on procedural due process than the adult criminal justice system. Most states do not consider adjudications of delinquency in the same category as criminal convictions.

Of course, juvenile misbehavior varies in degrees. In most states, very serious behavior – homicides or assaults resulting in serious physical injury, for example – can lead to a juvenile being prosecuted in the adult criminal justice system, with all the usual consequences that implies.

Demanding federal bureaucrats delve into juvenile records that aren’t necessarily prohibiting under a proper interpretation of 18 USC 922 is an invitation to improperly delay or deny an individual’s Second Amendment rights.

As members of the political community, young adults ages 18-20 should have their right to keep and bear arms respected in the same manner as older adults. NRA-ILA will continue to work towards this goal.

TRENDING NOW
Report: Newsom Rejected Gifted Handgun Because California Law is Too Complicated

News  

Monday, July 28, 2025

Report: Newsom Rejected Gifted Handgun Because California Law is Too Complicated

In a video interview with Tennessee-based podcaster Shawn Ryan published earlier this month, anti-gun California Governor Gavin Newsom appeared to accept a gift of a Sig P365 XMACRO semi-automatic handgun from the former U.S. Navy ...

North Carolina: Pro-Gun Bills Advance in Veto Override Session

Tuesday, July 29, 2025

North Carolina: Pro-Gun Bills Advance in Veto Override Session

During a veto override session on Tuesday, July 29th, both chambers passed House Bill 193 (H193) and defeated Governor Josh Stein's veto.

Sen. Murphy and Political Performance Art

News  

Monday, July 28, 2025

Sen. Murphy and Political Performance Art

Readers of our alerts know, very well, that U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) does not believe in the Second Amendment, and would probably like to see virtually every law-abiding American disarmed. And he has held ...

From New York to Australia, the Law Doesn’t Always Back the Good Guys

News  

Monday, July 28, 2025

From New York to Australia, the Law Doesn’t Always Back the Good Guys

For decades, NRA-ILA has pointed out that gun control advocates are disingenuous when it comes to public safety. 

Ninth Circuit Strikes Down California’s Background Check Requirement for Ammunition Purchases in NRA Backed Case

Thursday, July 24, 2025

Ninth Circuit Strikes Down California’s Background Check Requirement for Ammunition Purchases in NRA Backed Case

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that California’s law requiring a background check for each ammunition purchase violates the Second Amendment in Rhode v. Bonta—a case backed by the National Rifle Association and California Rifle ...

Rehabilitative Justice and the Anti-Gun Blind Spot

News  

Monday, July 28, 2025

Rehabilitative Justice and the Anti-Gun Blind Spot

Politics, they say, make for some strange bedfellows. Nicole Aloise, the Democrat running for the District Attorney (DA) job in New York’s Nassau County, has reportedly invited convicted criminals to apply for a full-time position on her ...

DOJ Issues “Relief From Disabilities” Rulemaking; Your Comments Urgently Needed!

News  

Monday, July 28, 2025

DOJ Issues “Relief From Disabilities” Rulemaking; Your Comments Urgently Needed!

On July 22, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a proposed rule in response to the Trump administration’s intention to revive a statutory process for the restoration of Second Amendment rights lost under federal law as result of ...

Tax Relief Spurs Participation in Outdoor Recreation, Conservation Efforts

News  

Monday, July 28, 2025

Tax Relief Spurs Participation in Outdoor Recreation, Conservation Efforts

It’s well known that firearm owners, along with sportsmen and women, invest a lot of time, effort, and especially money into being good stewards of their Second Amendment rights and their love of the outdoors.

Florida: Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday Signed by Governor

Monday, July 7, 2025

Florida: Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday Signed by Governor

Governor Ron DeSantis recently signed the Florida Budget for Fiscal Year 2025–2026, which includes a Second Amendment sales tax holiday from September 8 through December 31, 2025. The NRA is thankful for Governor DeSantis’ strong ...

North Carolina: Update on Gun Bills Moving through the General Assembly

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

North Carolina: Update on Gun Bills Moving through the General Assembly

Recently, House Bill 193 (H193) was reported favorably out of both the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Rules Committee, with amendments.

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.