Civil Commitment Name Change Data Interface to New Jersey State Police for Accessibility to NICS

The NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007, Pub. L. 110-180 ("NICS Improvement Act"), was signed into law by the President on January 8, 2008. The NICS Improvement Act amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 ("the Brady Act") (Pub. L. 103-159), under which the Attorney General established the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). The Brady Act requires Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) to contact the NICS before transferring a firearm to an unlicensed person for information on whether the proposed transferee is prohibited from receiving or possessing a firearm under state or federal law. The NICS Improvement Act authorizes grants to be made in a manner consistent with the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP).

The New Jersey Judiciary remains committed to improving the records available to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Through the continued collaboration of New Jersey’s NICS Task Force, it has been recognized that legal name change actions must be incorporated into New Jersey’s efforts to make accessible to NICS complete records on persons prohibited from possessing firearms for mental health reasons. Funds will be used to enable the Judiciary to automate the handling of legal name change actions filed in the Law Division – Civil Part of the Superior Court to allow for the recording of name changes that affect civil commitment records and timely transmission of such data through New Jersey State Police (NJSP) for accessibility to NICS.

CA/NCF