So you want to buy a firearm during a pandemic
Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2020 8:18 am
Finally decided to buy a firearm during a pandemic? Well, the joke's on you. So did everybody else. To the point that earlier in the week, NICS (the FBI's background check system) was experiencing a 300% increase in volume. In case you're wondering, that's a lot.
When old, government procured computer systems that run on a kludge of software have that much work load - they break down.
This leads to a lot of background check delays. We have a fun little federal thing called the Brady Law. One component of that law is that if you are delayed by NICS and no proceed or deny response has been received you may pick up your firearm on the indicated date, which comes after 3 business days. We call it, with much irony, your Brady Date and that's federal law.
During this pandemic panic, for reasons we still aren't clear on, Texans who are being delayed are receiving Brady Dates that are 3.5 weeks away, currently mid-April. Despite the Brady Law. NICS is attempting to blame this on state government closures. That's even though Texas government still operating and Texas does not require a state level background check before NICS.
Now, if that wasn't enough, and you knew more was coming, NICS is also 'breaking down' to the point of failure. In fact, the NICS computer system completely cratered Friday afternoon around 4 o'clock. It couldn't even be accessed. This lasted until around 9/10 PM.
As of Saturday morning, FFLs across the county can at least reach the NICS computer system. They just can't log in.
Be glad you have your LTC and can bypass all this nonsense and be glad you are already armed. Your friends and neighbors were not as prepared and now they have to live with those choices and the choices they have made at the ballot box.
Enjoy your weekend my friends.
UPDATE: NICS is now allowing FFLs to log in. Once more, we play our dangerous game, a game of chess against our old adversary — The American Government.
When old, government procured computer systems that run on a kludge of software have that much work load - they break down.
This leads to a lot of background check delays. We have a fun little federal thing called the Brady Law. One component of that law is that if you are delayed by NICS and no proceed or deny response has been received you may pick up your firearm on the indicated date, which comes after 3 business days. We call it, with much irony, your Brady Date and that's federal law.
During this pandemic panic, for reasons we still aren't clear on, Texans who are being delayed are receiving Brady Dates that are 3.5 weeks away, currently mid-April. Despite the Brady Law. NICS is attempting to blame this on state government closures. That's even though Texas government still operating and Texas does not require a state level background check before NICS.
Now, if that wasn't enough, and you knew more was coming, NICS is also 'breaking down' to the point of failure. In fact, the NICS computer system completely cratered Friday afternoon around 4 o'clock. It couldn't even be accessed. This lasted until around 9/10 PM.
As of Saturday morning, FFLs across the county can at least reach the NICS computer system. They just can't log in.
Be glad you have your LTC and can bypass all this nonsense and be glad you are already armed. Your friends and neighbors were not as prepared and now they have to live with those choices and the choices they have made at the ballot box.
Enjoy your weekend my friends.
UPDATE: NICS is now allowing FFLs to log in. Once more, we play our dangerous game, a game of chess against our old adversary — The American Government.