Keeping You Informed

Keeping You Informed

The NICS Section wants to keep you informed.

May 5, 2011

Notification of a NICS Website for Appeal and Voluntary Appeal File (VAF) Applicants

The NICS Section has deployed a website for customers wishing to appeal a denied transaction or submit a VAF application on a delayed transaction. Previous appeal e-mail addresses—nicsappeals@leo.gov and nicsapps@leo.gov—will no longer be accepting appeal requests. All electronically submitted appeal requests must be made through the NICS Appeal website at http://www.fbi.gov/nics. The NICS appellant or VAF applicant will need to follow the step-by-step instructions on how to submit an appeal or VAF request. An Appeal or VAF Request Form must be completed with all mandatory fields filled in prior to being able to print or electronically submit the request.

Modification to the NICS Process

As of May 2, 2011, the NICS Contracted Call Center is no longer asking if there are additional countries of citizenship on question 14 if United States is marked on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Form 4473.

Processing a NICS Denied Transaction When a Final Status is Provided by the NICS

As of May 2, 2011, the NICS Section began a pilot project requesting the following information for all denied individuals:

• Please provide the denied individual’s address.
• Was this transaction conducted at a gun show?
• If yes, please provide the location (city and state) of the gun show.

Please Keep Your FFL Contact Information Up to Date

If the NICS Section needs to contact your business, do we have the correct contact information on file for you? When your FFL contact information changes, there are two agencies to contact: the ATF Licensing Center at 1-866-662-2750 and the NICS Section’s Customer Service at 1-877-FBI-NICS (324-6427), option 2.

March 2011

New Permanent Resident Cards

In May 2010, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement began issuing a new version of the Permanent Resident Card. The new card has a 10-year expiration date. The information is much like the previous card. One difference is, on the previous card, the Alien Registration Number is listed as “A#” (Alien number), and on the new card, it is listed as “USCIS#” (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services number). This is the number to be utilized on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Form 4473, question 15. The USCIS number will still have nine numbers, just the acronym has changed. As long as the card is valid, both versions of the Permanent Resident Card can be used.

NICS Toll-Free Number To Show on Caller Identification (ID)

The NICS Section is always open to your ideas and suggestions. A repeat request that we have heard is the ability for the NICS Section’s toll free number to appear on caller identification (ID). We have arranged for this change to be implemented soon. When receiving a call from a NICS representative, you will see “1-877-324-6427” as long as your telecommunications provider allows for such. One exception to this change has already been identified. When a West Virginia telephone number is dialed by the NICS Section or the NICS Contracted Call Center, the caller ID will display either “304” or “877.”

NICS E-Check Digital Certificate Expiration Date

Attention Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) NICS E-Check Users: The NICS Section sends a reminder to renew your NICS E-Check digital certificate via e-mail 7, 15, and 30 days prior to the expiration date of the digital certificate. If you have not received these notices in the past, you may want check your spam e-mail. Also, in order to receive these reminders, it is very important to keep your e-mail address up to date with the NICS Section. The NICS Customer Service Representatives are available to assist in updating your e-mail address in our records and/or additional questions concerning the NICS E-Check Digital Certificate by calling 1-877-FBI-NICS (324-6427), option 3.

NICS Call Center Representatives Seek Status Validation

In August 2010, the NICS Contracted Call Centers began asking the following question at the end of each background check:

• Can you verify the status I provided was a Proceed or Transfer?

This question has been established to minimize discrepancies while conducting a NICS background check initiated through the NICS Contracted Call Centers. By reiterating the status provided, the FFL will help eliminate erroneous status documentation.