Gun Lobby Would Scrap State Database That is Best in Nation

Richmond, Virginia— The National Rifle Association (NRA) is calling on its membership to help repeal a 1989 law that created the Virginia Firearms Transaction Program (VFTP).   A state-of-the-art database that is second to none in the nation, the VFTP works in conjunction with the FBI’s National Instant Background Checks System (NICS) to check the background of those purchasing firearms in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  Under federal law, a background check is required on any individual who purchases a firearm(s) from a federally-licensed firearms dealer.  This system allows authorities to deny the sale of firearms to persons who are prohibited under federal law from buying them (i.e., convicted felons, those adjudicated mentally ill by a court, individuals who are the subject of an active restraining order, etc.).

In an August 18 alert to its members, the NRA described the VFTP as “obsolete and unnecessary.”  The truth, however, is that the VFTP is indispensable.  Not only does it provide a more thorough check than NICS would alone, but it also saves time for law-abiding Virginia residents who purchase firearms.