An Air Force review showed that it didn’t report dozens of other cases like that of Texas church shooter Devin Kelly in the FBI background check database. Officials carried out the review after it became clear that the service failed to report Kelley’s domestic violence conviction to the national background check database for potential gun purchasers.
“Preliminary findings by the Air Force Inspector General confirmed the OSI and Security Forces personnel then assigned at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, did not report required information to civilian law enforcement in the Kelley case,” an Air Force statement said.
Due to his conviction, Kelley who killed over 26 people in a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, should have been banned from buying a firearm. Officials also found that other criminal convictions of service members were not reported by the Air Force.
“The error in the Kelley case was not an isolated incident and similar reporting lapses occurred at other locations. Although policies and procedures requiring reporting were in place, training and compliance measures were lacking,” said the Air Force’s statement.
It was also noted in the statement that earlier this month the Office of Special Investigations and Security Forces was directed to review the incidents supposed to have been entered in the database since 2002.
“Air Force officials are correcting all identified deficiencies as they are discovered and reporting them to civilian law enforcement,” continued the statement.
According to officials the full review will take another several months before it is completed, but the service is working on identifying and resolving shortfalls. Several measures to “ensure compliance with reporting requirements to civilian law enforcement” have already been implemented by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. New procedures have also been put in place by the Air Force Security Forces.
“Additionally, supporting software, checklist and training changes were made to support the new procedures,” the statement also said.
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