The Federal Bureau of Investigation has removed tens of thousands of people wanted by authorities from a criminal background check database. The database used to stop the wanted persons purchasing weapons. Their names were deleted after the FBI in February decided to change the legal interpretation of “fugitive from justice.” That definition now applies only to wanted people who have crossed state lines. That means that those fugitives who were prohibited under federal law from buying firearms, now can do that, unless there is some other reason that stops them, The Washington Post reports.
The Justice Department narrowed the definition further after President Donald Trump entered the Oval Office. But no one was talking about the changes until the executive director of the anti-gun violence organization set up by former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords wrote to the FBI, and said that the decision is a self-inflicted loophole that the law enforcement agency should close.
One and a half million people have been prevented from buying guns since the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) was created in 1998. Among them are 180,000 people who were fugitives from justice, government statistics show. The number of people who previously would be prohibited, but may have bought guns since February, is unknown.
Attorney general Jeff Sessions sent a memo to the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and told them to improve NICS.
“The system is critical for us to be able to keep guns out of the hands of those prohibited from owning them,” he said.
According to the database, FBI has removed 500,000 names of persons defined as a fugitive and now there are only 788 names on the list.
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