PA Bill Number: HB335
Title: In inchoate crimes, further providing for prohibited offensive weapons.
Description: In inchoate crimes, further providing for prohibited offensive weapons. ...
Last Action: Removed from table
Last Action Date: May 1, 2024
No guns sold in state for 2 hours while background checks unavailable :: 12/17/2014
The layaway plan at Bullseye Firearms Inc. in New Alexandria and other dealers statewide was the only legal way to purchase firearms for about two hours Wednesday when the state police's computerized Instant Check System went offline.
The system allows retailers to do mandated criminal background checks on customers, so no firearms could be sold during the outage.
“I lost about six sales where people left the store,” Bullseye owner Nathan Carey said. “Three people came in and agreed to put their purchases on layaway and come back in later after the checks can be done.
“It's really tough because it's so close to Christmas,” he said.
Pennsylvania State Police press secretary Maria Finn said the outage occurred “when a backup battery in the system exploded and had to be repaired.”
The system was back online before 1 p.m.
Finn said the malfunction caused a statewide outage that affected all state police Internet-based systems, including background checks, and email and telephone systems at department headquarters in Harrisburg.
Anthony Ogline of Verona Gun Safe said the glitch didn't impact his retail store, which didn't open until 1 p.m.
“It would really put a crimp in our business this time of year if it were out for an extended period, but it's up and working right now,” Ogline said at 1:30 p.m.
The Instant Check System for firearms retailers and the Pennsylvania Access to Criminal History public site to obtain criminal history record checks were inaccessible during the outage, Finn said.
Last spring, state police completed a $1.2 million overhaul of Instant Check — the first since the system began 16 years ago. Since then, dealers and sheriffs have reported fewer delays and shutdowns with the system, which is maintained by state police.
The new Instant Check, which works via computer access, runs background checks on prospective gun owners to determine whether applicants are wanted under outstanding warrants, or whether they're prohibited from owning a weapon because of a felony or drug conviction, three DUI convictions within five years, or an adjudication of mental incompetence.
In 2013, the system handled 1.1 million transactions, a nearly 10 percent increase from 2012.
The old system, designed to handle 1.2 million checks, was prone to outages, particularly when demand was high, critics said.
Carey said there were some minor problems with the system on Black Friday because of the high volume of sales.
The system allows applicants to submit forms and fees electronically and allows dealers to check a firearm against a stolen gun database.
Instead of using the telephone to submit driver's license and other personal information required by state and federal law, retailers can log onto the system and enter customers' information.
http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/7398350-74/system-state-firearms#ixzz3PTQxYyMv
