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Virginia firearm instant background check delays

longwatch

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Travel outside of the US matters only to non citizens buying guns and only if it's within the past 90 days.
 

eyesopened

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1000ydshooter wrote:
Just a idea on my part. Ill be gladd when i get home for R&R in July so i can start stocking up.
Just be prepared for the sticker shock. Prices have skyrocketed since around election time. Hope you get home safe.
 

Sheriff

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kenny wrote:
I made a purchase at a rural Virginia gun store last week and the check was done by computer, not over the phone.
This actually came into existence several years ago. As a former FFL dealer, I would send anapplication online, and gets an OK back online. A dealer did an online transaction the other day when I bought a 6721 AR15. We waited and waited and waited. Then we waited a little longer. After not receiving approval after about 45 miutes, I called the Transaction Center by phone myself. I explained I had driven 30 miles to pick the weapon up and didn't really feel like coming back the next day, obviously another 60 mile round trip. So the girl promised to expedite the paperwork, did so,and approved it within minutes. I know what sent up a red flag on me, and convenient as it may seem, it will now be a small part of the testimony of my damages in 3 pending $4 million dollar lawsuits. There's no doubt in my mind that because of a rookie's mistake, laziness and incompetency a red flag will go up on me every time I attempt to purchase a firearm in the future.
 

Sheriff

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eyesopened wrote:
Just be prepared for the sticker shock. Prices have skyrocketed since around election time.
People whined about getting raped by the oil companies and gas prices. And some of these same people are nowraping people with gun, ammo and magazine prices. For example, check gunbroker.com ..... Magpul magazines that used to sell for $12 to $14 each are now going for $35 to $50 each. Greed is the only way to explain it.

On the other hand, Obama is certainly stimulating the gun, ammoand accessory market. :lol:
 

Gunslinger

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jegoodin wrote:
I work for DoD (Navy) and have a fairly high clearance. (Finger prints, polygraph, pee in a bottle from time to time).

I have never had a problem with my purchases being cleared. Usually only takes a minute or two.
Me too. I was told that the more common your last name, the longer it takes--which makes sense. Using your SS#--although not required, can speed it up. I've never waited longer than 20 minutes for the check to go thru--with high level clearances, but a somewhat unusual last name.
 

Gunslinger

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Sheriff wrote:
eyesopened wrote:
Just be prepared for the sticker shock. Prices have skyrocketed since around election time.
People whined about getting raped by the oil companies and gas prices. And some of these same people are nowraping people with gun, ammo and magazine prices. For example, check gunbroker.com ..... Magpul magazines that used to sell for $12 to $14 each are now going for $35 to $50 each. Greed is the only way to explain it.

On the other hand, Obama is certainly stimulating the gun, ammoand accessory market. :lol:
The funny thing is Bud's still has very attractive prices on handguns. May have gone up on some--the cheaper ones, but Smiths for example, M&P or 1911s, don't seem to have increased. SIGS, on the other hand, have--at least the GSR (1911) style like I have. Could be a pass on from SIG, of course, for a new inventory they received. Like Wolf ammo at the online sites: much higher for fmjs. Strangely, Federal prices have stayed the same on Ammo To Go. Guess it will be hit and miss for awhile, price-wise.
 

IanB

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I think sheriff hit the nail on the head. Gas used to be twice what it is now. Give it some time and this firearm hysteria will cool down and prices will return to normal. There is a natural ebb and flow to prices, just like the stock market. It's all driven by news and emotion.
 

Paragon

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I've had a security clearance for years (got my Secret before my first gun purchase). I have prints on file (not for arrest) and no criminal record. I've never been delayed, but I always put my SSN on there since I do have a common first and last name.
 

hsmith

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Sheriff wrote:
eyesopened wrote:
Just be prepared for the sticker shock. Prices have skyrocketed since around election time.
People whined about getting raped by the oil companies and gas prices. And some of these same people are nowraping people with gun, ammo and magazine prices. For example, check gunbroker.com ..... Magpul magazines that used to sell for $12 to $14 each are now going for $35 to $50 each. Greed is the only way to explain it.

On the other hand, Obama is certainly stimulating the gun, ammoand accessory market. :lol:
Not greed, you don't have to buy the magazines.

People are just taking advantages of idiots, I see nothing wrong with that :D

A fool and his money are soon parted!
 

vbnative73

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Went thru my initial SSBI for my clearance back in 1999. Got my CHP and first handgun in 2004. No problems. While going thru another SSBI last year, I bought another handgun a month before clearance approved. No problems with handgun purchases or getting my clearance, ever.
 

2a4all

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The Daily Press weighs in on the delays in approving background checks, and thinks PVC ' response is "...over the top...".

http://www.dailypress.com/news/opinion/dp-ed_gunpurchase_edit_0413apr13,0,6717157.story

Maybe you can have your cake and eat it, too. But in this economy, you cannot have your low-level user fees and your high-level user service.

Not if what you're looking for is a fast transaction when it comes to buying a gun.

In Virginia, some gun buyers are experiencing delays. One of the consequences of the General Assembly's wringing billions of dollars out of the state budget is that it wrung out some jobs. Some were in unit at the State Police that processes background checks on gun purchasers.

This is the centerpiece of Virginia's attempt to keep guns out of the wrong hands. It goes only so far because the criminals know the "street market" doesn't do background checks. And it's always possible to take advantage of the loophole for unlicensed sellers at legitimate gun shows.

The background check requires consulting several databases in order to weed out the people prohibited by law from purchasing guns. That list includes those who have been convicted of or are under indictment for a felony or convicted of some serious misdemeanors; are subject to a protective order for harassing, stalking or threatening an "intimate partner" or child; have been found by a court to be incompetent or mentally incapacitated or involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital; were dishonorably discharged from the armed forces; are illegal immigrants; or have, within 36 months, been convicted twice of possession of marijuana or a controlled substance (once is no barrier).

The public, understandably, would agree that none of these people should have guns.

Gun buyers, understandably, would like their applications processed quickly, so they can finish their purchases and be on their way.

As law-abiding citizens, they should expect good service. But recently, it has been taking longer. That's due to a combination of greater demand — the number of checks in 2009 was up 7 percent from 2008, itself a record year — and less supply on the checking end. The number of staff to do background checks is down from 28 to 17.

But gun buyers, collectively, had a choice about this. The 2009 General Assembly considered a bill to raise the background check fee from $2 to $5, which the State Police says would be sufficient to staff the unit. You have to wonder how someone who found the extra $3 onerous could afford a gun and ammunition. But pro-gun groups worked to defeat the bill.

So some gun buyers are delayed, and gun dealers say the delays are costing them sales.

Those are the consequences. But there's no way to justify taking general tax money to subsidize this process when the money is needed for law enforcement and other critical services.

This basic lesson about getting what you pay for had one winning moment. Philip Van Cleave of the activist Virginia Citizens Defense League wins the "Over The Top, 'Round The Bend And Back Hyperbole Award" for this statement: "A person experiencing a death threat and who is denied a lawful gun purchase overnight would be left helpless at the hands of an assailant."

More than 287,000 background checks were run in Virginia last year. If the scenario Van Cleave laid out is anything but a rarity, if many of those 287,000 involve death threats, then we need to call up the National Guard, mobilize the militia, bar the doors and hide the women and children.

Here's a fun fact: The State Police in 2008 denied about 1 percent of the requests because the applicants were disqualified from owning a gun. And in the process of conducting background checks, 78 people who were wanted on criminal charges were identified and arrested. The process works.

And it was worth $5.


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Copyright © 2010, Newport News, Va., Daily Press
 

darthmord

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That's because he consistently takes the Daily Press to task. I suspect he'd be a bit nicer on them if they actually reported the whole truth more often.

They simply don't like him.
 

Dutch Uncle

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2a4all wrote:
the number of checks in 2009 was up 7 percent from 2008, itself a record year — and less supply on the checking end. The number of staff to do background checks is down from 28 to 17.
Hmmmm. On the one hand, the state wants to increase the fee to $5 from $2, saying this will help hire back the needed staff. Well, if our fees have been supporting such staff, shouldn't the 7% increase in last year's business, and the increased fees from the "record year" before that be more than sufficient to maintain or even INCREASE the staff now? I think this line of reasoning might be the better one to take than Phil's long-shot concern about someone needing a pistol right away. The gun owners and buyers in this state are being subjected to a financial shell game.

P.S. Of course, the Daily Press hates Phil's guts. Just look at the quotes on the home page of VCDL. :lol:
 

johnfenter

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"More than 287,000 background checks were run in Virginia last year... The State Police in 2008 denied about 1 percent of the requests because the applicants were disqualified from owning a gun. And in the process of conducting background checks, 78 people who were wanted on criminal charges were identified and arrested."

Hmmm... about 1% of 287,000 is about 2,878. So what happened to the OTHER 2,800 people who were illegally trying to purchase a gun from a dealer? Not a damn thing! The system does NOT work!
 

muzz3256

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I've never personally had any problems getting my check back, usually less than 45 seconds. However, I have a friend who works for the Army in intelligence, and he almost always has to wait. He has a pretty unique name and said that he never used to be delayed until he was discharged from the Navy and started working for the Army. This is how he put it:

He was getting irritated that his checks were getting delayed, so he started asking his supervisors on the base, and his supervisor explained it to him as best as he could.

He said basically, his FBI Background checks will always be delayed, whether through NICS, a formal background check, fingerprints, or additional security clearances. They said that it's not necessarily due to him having security clearance, but due to the projects that he is involved with while he has it. He was also told that when he is done with those projects, the flag may be removed if he is not working on anything else that would flag it. It's not there to prevent him from buying guns, but to more closely restrict who has access to his background info through the FBI while he is involved in sensitive projects.

Is it true? I have no idea, I just know that we used to be able to go to a gun show and pick up a gun in less than an hour and leave, but now we wait, I think that the longest was around 7 hours.
 

LRS76251

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NICS will return an AFIS hit which shows an open investigation for those with security clearances. The other rules still apply (common names, arrests, etc). An analyst then has to go in and investigate the individual hit(s) further to see if the person attempting the purchasehas something in their background that fitsthe prohibited purchaser criteria...hence the delays. Everything has a code in NICS just as NCIC has different codes for different types of investigations and/or offenses. Every code has to be investigated further.
 
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