Under federal law, certain categories of individuals are prohibited from shipping, transporting, receiving, or possessing firearms. When an individual attempts to buy a firearm from a federally licensed dealer, the dealer can instantly query the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to determine if the individual is prohibited from possessing a firearm.Learn more about who reports to NICS, what information is contained in the NICS database, and whether reporting to NICS violates the HIPAA Privacy Rule in our Fast Facts.
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