NICS Denial Appeals Keep Rolling In, But No One Is Processing Them

posted on January 26, 2016
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **

As gun sales in America continue to rise, the FBI has added about 70 employees to assist with the ever-growing number of background checks. Unfortunately, they were all transferred from the agency’s pool of appeals examiners—leaving no one to process the appeals of those who were erroneously denied their ability to purchase a firearm. 

In 2014, out of the 90,895 federal NICS checks resulting in a denial, 4,411 were later appealed and overturned. Worse, according to USA Today, the “temporary” reassignment of appeals examiners has created a backlog of 7,100 denial appeals.

Without appeals examiners, there’s no recourse for those mistakenly turned down. Moreover, If President Obama gets his way with regards to “universal” background checks, all transactions would have to pass an NICS check, resulting in innocent people being stripped of their Second Amendment rights indefinitely—a clear violation of the Constitution’s guarantee that individuals cannot be deprived of liberty without due process.

Latest

Start Hearing, SoundGear graphic
Start Hearing, SoundGear graphic

New NRA Partners For Hearing Health

Start Hearing and SoundGear, divisions of Starkey, have partnered with the NRA to promote hearing health among members.

Important Notice To Members: Exercise Your Rights, Assist In The Nomination Of Directors

The NRA Bylaws provide for the election of one-third of the members of the Board of Directors each year. This means that the terms of office of 25 Board members will expire at the 2026 Annual Meeting of Members next year.

NRA Media’s New Executive Director

NRA Media is proud to introduce Mike Sanford as executive director of NRA Media.

The Armed Citizen® July 11, 2025

True stories of the right to keep and bear arms

5 Reasons the Second Amendment Should Not Be Political

The right to keep and bear arms is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. It is not a tool of one political party but rather is a right for all Americans, regardless of their background, income or voting history.



Get the best of America's 1st Freedom delivered to your inbox.