05/12/00- Updated 08:28 PM ET

FBI computer problem halts gun sales

WASHINGTON - Prospective gun buyers may have to be a bit more patient than usual. All gun sales have been halted nationwide since Thursday afternoon because an internal software problem in the FBI criminal history database has temporarily halted instant background checks of gun buyers, the FBI said Friday. The FBI's Interstate Identification Index, a database that has the criminal histories of 36 million people, stopped working late Thursday afternoon. FBI and contractor employees expected to have it working again by Saturday evening or Sunday morning, an FBI spokesman said.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washdc/nc1.htm#gun

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), May 12, 2000

Answers

May 12, 2000 - 06:52 PM

FBI Computer Problem Halts Gun Sales Nationwide By Michael J. Sniffen Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - All gun sales have been halted nationwide since Thursday afternoon because an internal software problem in the FBI criminal history database has temporarily halted instant background checks of gun buyers, the FBI said Friday. The FBI's Interstate Identification Index, a database that has the criminal histories of 36 million people, stopped working late Thursday afternoon. FBI and contractor employees expected to have it working again by Saturday evening or Sunday morning, FBI spokesman Paul Bresson said.

"It was an internal database problem, not the result of a hacking or external attack," Bresson said.

Without background check approvals, gun dealers said that since Thursday afternoon they have been forced to tell their customers to wait for their guns until the system comes back up and the checks can be completed.

The computer failure made it impossible to check the criminal histories for past felony convictions that bar people from buying guns. Also brought down by the software problem was the FBI's automated fingerprint system, known as IAFIS for Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System.

The National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS, established under the Brady law to check whether prospective buyers are legally eligible to purchase guns depends on the Interstate Identification Index in its search for felony convictions.

Even though gunstore owners in only about half the states file their background check inquiries directly with the FBI, the failure affected checks in all 50 states. In states where gun dealers place background check requests with a state police agency, that state agency checks the FBI's criminal histories by computer in addition to its own records before approving or disapproving the sale.

"We can't release any guns to our customers until it's fixed," said Art Harris, owner of The Gentleman Hunter in Bethesda, Md. "We haven't lost any deals yet, but Saturday is our biggest day."

"I suppose some gun buyers are angry over the delay, but our customers have been very understanding," Harris said.

When the system is working, 72 percent of gun purchases are approved within 30 seconds, the Justice Department says. And 95 percent of buyers get an approval or a disapproval within two hours of their application for purchase.

In its first 13 months of operation, the NICS system completed more than 10 million background checks. Only 5 percent required more than two hours to complete the background check.

"We had four prospective sales Friday, but we can't deliver the guns because we can't get approvals," said Tommy Thacker, manager of Loudoun Guns in Loudoun, Va. "We just tell them we'll call them when the system is up."

In Virginia, gun dealers like Thacker are linked by computer with the Virginia state police, but the state police are linked to the FBI computer to check federal criminal history records. "So the state can't give approvals," Thacker said.

"No one has gotten angry so far," Thacker said. "But it could get sticky," because once the sale applications are accepted by the computer for checking, the backlog could lengthen the time it takes to complete the checks.

The Brady law gives law enforcement up to three business days to complete a gun check, but the three-day period does not begin until the computer accepts the application.

The computer failure threatened to create a backlog and a weekend of extra work at the FBI Criminal Information Center in Morgantown, W. Va., Bresson said. Federal officials said extra workers were being called in to clear any backlog over the weekend.

Other functions of the FBI's computerized National Crime Information Center 2000, that serves state and local police as well as federal agents around the nation, continued in service. The unaffected computerized services included the FBI's lists of wanted people, fugitives, stolen guns and stolen property.

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGITBIUE68C.html

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), May 12, 2000.

Computers still down!

FBI Computer Flaw Halts Gun Sales

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The FBI hoped to have an internal software problem fixed by daybreak Sunday that would allow a resumption of firearms sales that are dependent on background checks with the bureau's criminal history database, an official said late Saturday.

The FBI's Interstate Identification Index, a database containing criminal histories of 36 million people, stopped working late Thursday afternoon, the bureau said Friday.

This computer failure at the FBI Criminal Information Center in Morgantown, W.Va., halted gun sales because it prevented completion of background checks that the Brady law requires for buyers.

Gun dealers had hoped for a quick fix because Saturday is their busiest day. However, the system remain down throughout the day.

Spokesman Steve Fisher said Saturday night the best estimate was that it would be up and running again between midnight and 6 a.m. Sunday.

Fisher said the plan was to message users -- gunshop users and state and local law enforcement agencies -- as soon as the system was restored.

Without background check approvals, gun dealers have been forced to tell their customers to wait for their guns until the system comes back up and the checks can be completed.

The computer failure made it impossible for the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS, to check the criminal histories for past felony convictions that bar people from buying guns. Also brought down was the FBI's automated fingerprint system.

When the system is working, 72 percent of gun purchases are approved within 30 seconds, the Justice Department says. And 95 percent of buyers get an approval or a disapproval within two hours of their purchase application.

AP-NY-05-13-00 2141EDT

http://www.newsday.com/ap/washington/ap922.htm

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), May 13, 2000.

May 14, 2000 - 10:40 AM

FBI Fixes Computer Problem, Resumes Gun Sales Checks The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - The FBI has fixed an internal software problem that halted gun sales nationwide for more than two days, an official said Sunday. The repairs allowed resumption of firearms sales that are dependent on background checks with the bureau's criminal history database. The system began operating again at 7:30 a.m. EDT, FBI spokesman Steve Fisher.

The FBI's Interstate Identification Index, a database containing criminal histories of 36 million people, stopped working late Thursday afternoon.

The computer failure at the FBI Criminal Information Center in Clarksburg, W.Va., halted gun sales because it prevented completion of background checks that the Brady law requires for buyers.

Gun dealers had hoped for a quick fix because Saturday is their busiest day. However, the system remain down throughout the day.

Without background check approvals, gun dealers were forced to tell their customers to wait for their guns until the system came back up and the checks could be completed.

The computer failure made it impossible for the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS, to check the criminal histories for past felony convictions that bar people from buying guns. Also brought down was the FBI's automated fingerprint system.

When the system is working, 72 percent of gun purchases are approved within 30 seconds, the Justice Department says. And 95 percent of buyers get an approval or a disapproval within two hours of their purchase application.

AP-ES-05-14-00 1040EDT

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGIVNC5S88C.html

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), May 14, 2000.