MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) authorized to retrieve over 4,000 guns last year from buyers who failed to pass the national background checks, media reported.
USA Today found that the FBI issued 4,170 retrieval requests in 2016, the largest number in 10 years, from people whose records in the National Criminal Instant Background Check System (NICS) prohibited them from purchasing arms.
READ MORE: Texas Massacre: Gunman Identified as Former US Air Force Member
The NICS, a national database for background checks, contains information on the criminal background and mental health of a potential gun buyer, however, the checks may take up to 72 hours. Even if the check is not finished, a person is allowed to buy a gun, which can be later retrieved in case the system identifies that the buyer is prohibited from making the purchase.
#MP FBI issues more than 4000 requests to take back guns from people who failed background checks: Report — Washington Examiner
— MinutePost — World (@MinutePost) 5 декабря 2017 г.
The United States has faced a number of mass shooting attacks in recent months. On November 5, Air Force veteran Devin Kelley, who suffered from mental health issues, opened fire at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Spring in Texas, killing 26 people. A month before another gunman shot 58 concertgoers dead in Las Vegas, which became the biggest shooting in terms of victims in the history of the United States.