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Report: Florida Skipped Background Checks on Concealed-Carry Applicants for Over a Year
June 08, 2018, 05:21 PM
JALLENReport: Florida Skipped Background Checks on Concealed-Carry Applicants for Over a Year
The state of Florida skipped background checks on concealed-carry-permit applicants for over a year because the employee in charge of them was unable to log into the system.
From February 2016 to March 2017, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services stopped using the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which checks an applicant’s record in other states, the Tampa Bay Times reports. During that period, the department approved tens of thousands of concealed-carry permits, especially after applications spiked following the June 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting that killed 49 people in Orlando.
Over a month after Lisa Wilde, the employee in charge of conducting background checks, found that she could not log into the NICBC system, she reported it to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, but did not follow up or fix the problem. Another employee finally noticed that the department was not receiving any denial notices and reached out to the FDLE to get to the bottom of the mystery, according to the June 5, 2017 state investigation report obtained by the Times.
Wilde, who said claimed she worked in the FDACS mail room until 2013, said she “didn’t understand why I was put in charge of” conducting the background checks. She has since been fired.
“The integrity of our department’s licensing program is our highest priority,” department spokesman Aaron Keller said. “As soon as we learned that one employee failed to review applicants’ non-criminal disqualifying information, we immediately terminated the employee, thoroughly reviewed every application potentially impacted, and implemented safeguards to prevent this from happening again.”
Only 6,470 of close to 275,000 Florida applications for concealed-carry permits were denied from July 2016 to June 2017. In those cases, the application was incomplete or the state was able to determine without the national check that applicants had not met the requirements for a permit.
The NICS system weeds out applicants that are illegal immigrants, have been imprisoned for over a year, have drug-use convictions from the past year, have been ruled mentally ill by a court, or were dishonorably discharged from the military.
Florida agriculture commissioner Adam Putnam has promoted the expansion of the concealed-carry-permit system as one of his proudest accomplishments. Putnam, who is now a Republican candidate for governor, emphasized at a press conference in 2012 that the time for permit approval had dropped from twelve weeks to 35 days during his tenure.
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Luckily, I have enough willpower to control the driving ambition that rages within me.
When you had the votes, we did things your way. Now, we have the votes and you will be doing things our way. This lesson in political reality from Lyndon B. Johnson
"Some things are apparent. Where government moves in, community retreats, civil society disintegrates and our ability to control our own destiny atrophies. The result is: families under siege; war in the streets; unapologetic expropriation of property; the precipitous decline of the rule of law; the rapid rise of corruption; the loss of civility and the triumph of deceit. The result is a debased, debauched culture which finds moral depravity entertaining and virtue contemptible." - Justice Janice Rogers Brown June 08, 2018, 05:30 PM
DoctorSoloShoddy enforcement of existing laws, and yet talk to any democrat and they will tell you we need more laws.
June 08, 2018, 05:48 PM
JALLENquote:
Originally posted by DoctorSolo:
Shoddy enforcement of existing laws, and yet talk to any democrat and they will tell you we need more laws.
Competent employees might have prevented this embarrassment.
Luckily, I have enough willpower to control the driving ambition that rages within me.
When you had the votes, we did things your way. Now, we have the votes and you will be doing things our way. This lesson in political reality from Lyndon B. Johnson
"Some things are apparent. Where government moves in, community retreats, civil society disintegrates and our ability to control our own destiny atrophies. The result is: families under siege; war in the streets; unapologetic expropriation of property; the precipitous decline of the rule of law; the rapid rise of corruption; the loss of civility and the triumph of deceit. The result is a debased, debauched culture which finds moral depravity entertaining and virtue contemptible." - Justice Janice Rogers Brown June 08, 2018, 08:34 PM
PalmIf the negligence of one employee could truly cause this, with no check on that employee’s work product, that might be a problem....
June 09, 2018, 12:08 AM
bigdealquote:
Originally posted by JALLEN:
...the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Florida agriculture commissioner Adam Putnam has promoted the expansion of the concealed-carry-permit system as one of his proudest accomplishments. Putnam, who is now a Republican candidate for governor, emphasized at a press conference in 2012 that the time for permit approval had dropped from twelve weeks to 35 days during his tenure.
These are the only two relevant facts in this story. One, the Tampa Bay Times is nothing but one of the propaganda arms of the Florida Democratic party. They are beneath contempt. Their primary goal is to attack any and all Republican/Conservative candidates for elected office and slime them with anything they can concoct. And two, we see the real reason for this story in the final paragraph. Adam Putnam is popular in Florida and has a real shot at the governor's office. As such, the Tampa Bay Times drops this story out 'now' to try and damage Putnam.
Knowing the Tampa Bay Times as I do from having lived in Central Florida for ~50 years, stay tuned for more "Breaking News' against Adam Putnam...just prior to election day.
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Guns are awesome because they shoot solid lead freedom. Every man should have several guns. And several dogs, because a man with a cat is a woman. Kurt Schlichter
June 09, 2018, 12:13 AM
darthfusterSurely more power to the gov't will solve these problems.
You’re a lying dog-faced pony soldier June 09, 2018, 05:44 AM
DrDanquote:
Originally posted by bigdeal:
Knowing the Tampa Bay Times ..., stay tuned for more "Breaking News' against Adam Putnam...just prior to election day.
You can bet your bottom dollar on that.
This space intentionally left blank. June 09, 2018, 05:58 AM
RichardCquote:
Originally posted by bigdeal:
the Tampa Bay Times is nothing but one of the propaganda arms of the Florida Democratic party. Their primary goal is to attack any and all Republican/Conservative candidates for elected office and slime them with anything they can concoct. .
The Times is also intent upon destroying the Second Amendment.
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June 09, 2018, 06:56 AM
PeteFAnd yet there was not outbreak of "gun violence" by people with Fla licensees. Maybe background checks ain't all that they are cracked up to be.
June 09, 2018, 11:31 AM
smithnsigJust so happens to come out when he is running for Governor.
Don’t believe anything you read, and half of what you see.
I’m not saying it didn’t happen, something probably did, but the other side is nefarious at best when it comes to Gubernatorial elections.
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TCB all the time...
June 09, 2018, 11:40 AM
12131Political hit piece.
Q
June 09, 2018, 12:23 PM
sigfreundquote:
Originally posted by PeteF:
Maybe background checks ain't all that they are cracked up to be.
Seems to be true of the states where there are no background checks at all for concealed carry permits because permits aren’t required to carry concealed. Hmm …. Perhaps that should be true in Florida as well. Does anyone on the other side ever think of these things when trying to promote their agenda?
► 6.0/94.0
To operate serious weapons in a serious manner. June 09, 2018, 12:30 PM
radioman^^^ This. +1 for Constitutional Carry.
.
June 09, 2018, 12:33 PM
ensigmaticquote:
Originally posted by JALLEN:
Wilde, who said claimed she worked in the FDACS mail room until 2013, said she “didn’t understand why I was put in charge of” conducting the background checks. She has since been fired.
Assuming this claim is true: If she was adequately competent in her role in the mail room she should be hired back into the mail room and the individual that promoted her to running background checks should be demoted or fired.
"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system,,,, but too early to shoot the bastards." -- Claire Wolfe
"If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living." -- Seneca the Younger, Roman Stoic philosopher June 09, 2018, 05:10 PM
trapper189According to the this email I just received, this affected only 365 applications out of 350,000 and on rechecking the 365, 74 were cleared and the remaining should not have been granted.
"DATE: June 9, 2018
TO: USF & NRA Member and Friends
FROM: Marion P. Hammer
USF Executive Director
NRA Past President
The media isn't getting it right and anti-gun Democrats don't want to get it right -- for some, it's all about attacking a candidate for political reasons. This issue is extremely important to all firearms owners and license holders. Truth and facts matter, so here is what really happened.
THE FACTS:
The Division of Licensing under the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (DOACS) did, in fact, do background checks on applicants for licenses to carry concealed weapons or firearms.
Background checks were done through FCIC (Florida Criminal Information Computer system) and NCIC (National Criminal Information Computer system -- the national FBI fingerprint data base) and they also did a NICS check (National Instant Check System), which is the name-based background check system.
The NICS system is the same system used by retail firearms dealers to do background checks when a person buys a firearm.
ALL THREE BACKGROUND CHECKS WERE DONE.
During the time the employee failed to do her job, approximately 350,000 applicants for carry licenses were processed. Of those 350,000, 365 had a disqualifier based on the NICS background check.
The employee should have uploaded those 365 into the internal computer system to stop the processing of those applications. She did not. So those 365 applicants got their licenses anyhow.
Although they got their licenses to CARRY firearms, they still would not have been allowed to purchase a firearm from a firearms dealer because the same NICS background check would have been performed by a dealer and would have stopped them from purchasing a firearm.
A license to carry does not exempt a person from the background check required when you purchase a firearm. The license ONLY exempts a license holder from the 3-day waiting period.
When the Division discovered the problem, the employee was let go. The Division then ran new background checks on all 365 applicants who initially had NICS name-based disqualifiers. Of those 365, 74 were cleared and 291 still had disqualifiers, so their licenses to carry firearms were immediately suspended.
THOSE ARE THE FACTS. The facts don't fit narrative being pushed by the anti-gun political opponents of the Commissioner of Agriculture, Adam Putnam, who is a candidate for Governor."
June 10, 2018, 12:22 AM
sigmonkeyquote:
The media isn't getting it right and anti-gun Democrats don't want to get it right -- for some, it's all about attacking a candidate for political reasons. This issue is extremely important to all firearms owners and license holders. Truth and facts matter, so here is what really happened.
Those facts, again...
"the meaning of life, is to give life meaning" ✡ Ani Yehudi אני יהודי Le'olam lo shuv לעולם לא שוב! June 10, 2018, 06:48 AM
HayesGreenerquote:
Originally posted by trapper189:
According to the this email I just received, this affected only 365 applications out of 350,000 and on rechecking the 365, 74 were cleared and the remaining should not have been granted.
"DATE: June 9, 2018
TO: USF & NRA Member and Friends
FROM: Marion P. Hammer
USF Executive Director
NRA Past President
The media isn't getting it right and anti-gun Democrats don't want to get it right -- for some, it's all about attacking a candidate for political reasons. This issue is extremely important to all firearms owners and license holders. Truth and facts matter, so here is what really happened.
THE FACTS:
The Division of Licensing under the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (DOACS) did, in fact, do background checks on applicants for licenses to carry concealed weapons or firearms.
Background checks were done through FCIC (Florida Criminal Information Computer system) and NCIC (National Criminal Information Computer system -- the national FBI fingerprint data base) and they also did a NICS check (National Instant Check System), which is the name-based background check system.
The NICS system is the same system used by retail firearms dealers to do background checks when a person buys a firearm.
ALL THREE BACKGROUND CHECKS WERE DONE.
During the time the employee failed to do her job, approximately 350,000 applicants for carry licenses were processed. Of those 350,000, 365 had a disqualifier based on the NICS background check.
The employee should have uploaded those 365 into the internal computer system to stop the processing of those applications. She did not. So those 365 applicants got their licenses anyhow.
Although they got their licenses to CARRY firearms, they still would not have been allowed to purchase a firearm from a firearms dealer because the same NICS background check would have been performed by a dealer and would have stopped them from purchasing a firearm.
A license to carry does not exempt a person from the background check required when you purchase a firearm. The license ONLY exempts a license holder from the 3-day waiting period.
When the Division discovered the problem, the employee was let go. The Division then ran new background checks on all 365 applicants who initially had NICS name-based disqualifiers. Of those 365, 74 were cleared and 291 still had disqualifiers, so their licenses to carry firearms were immediately suspended.
THOSE ARE THE FACTS. The facts don't fit narrative being pushed by the anti-gun political opponents of the Commissioner of Agriculture, Adam Putnam, who is a candidate for Governor."
I interact with the Florida Division of Licensing on a regular basis as a result of training I do for Security Officers and Private Investigators for their firearms licenses. My experience has been that with few exceptions they are professional and competent at their jobs. Adam Putnam has always been committed to quality service. Somebody has some tall explaining to do over this screw up. They have an enormous task with the number of CWFL's and class G licenses in the state.
Having lived in the Tampa Bay for 20 years, competence is not a word I would use to describe the Tampa Bay Times (affectionately known to law enforcement as the St. Petersburg Communist Times). They are a head hunting newspaper first, the facts are often secondary.
CMSGT USAF (Retired)
Chief of Police (Retired)