Republican senators have introduced a bill that would alert immigration authorities when an immigrant in the U.S. illegally attempts to purchase a gun. Undocumented immigrants are barred from buying guns in the U.S., however, the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) is not required to alert U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or local law enforcement if a firearm applicant is in America illegally.
The Illegal Alien NICS Alert Act, authored by Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and co-sponsored by Sens. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., John Boozman, R-Ark, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., would change the system.
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According to Tillis’ office, the FBI’s database of people banned from buying guns currently includes the names of 14.8 million undocumented immigrants.
Under the new legislation, if any of those names were to pop up during the process of conducting a background check to buy a gun, NICS would have to notify ICE and local authorities.
Tillis said it’s against the law for these people to buy a firearm and that his bill would notify the appropriate authorities when they try to break the law.
“Those who come into America illegally should be detained and deported,” Cotton said. “They certainly shouldn’t be able to purchase a firearm.”
According to Tillis, NICS has denied 49,411 attempted firearm purchases by undocumented immigrants since Nov. 30, 1998.
