State of Wisconsin Improved Firearm Background Check/Enhanced Data Sharing Program

The Office of Justice Programs funds the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) and the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Act Record Improvement Program (NARIP). Both of these programs provide essential support and guidance to improve reporting of criminal history and related records used for background checks conducted through the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) NICS for individuals seeking to purchase certain firearms. Recent acts of violence have focused national attention on the urgent need to close several persistent information gaps remaining in the background check process. The Bureau of Justice Assistance, in close coordination with Bureau of Justice Statistics and the FBI, is funding a one-time grant program to complement the ongoing NCHIP and NARIP programs by improving and expanding the data accessible to NICS at the time of a firearm background check to ensure lawful purchases.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice and its justice system partner agencies have collaborated to use the grant funds to improve the speed, accuracy and scope of the criminal history record repository by assigning a unique primary identifier number that aligns the various State and local criminal justice data interface systems. The goal of the project, titled the State of Wisconsin Improved Firearm Background Check/Enhanced Data Sharing Program, is to ensure timely positive identification and records matching for reliable background checks as individuals move across State and local jurisdictional boundaries.

CA/NCF