Few states run repeated checks on concealed-carry permit holders; Ky. leads nation in checks

How often does the Federal Bureau of Investigation conduct background checks on gun purchases in your state? The FBI conducts nearly twice as many checks in Kentucky than in any other state, Lauren Duncan reports for The Paducah Sun in Western Kentucky. According to the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Checks System (NICS), used by states to conduct checks on those who purchase firearms, Kentucky had 2.9 million NICS checks in 2015 through November, "which far surpassed California's 1.5 million and Texas's 1.3 million during that time period." Kentucky had 2.4 million checks in 2014, almost a million more than the next highest state, California, which had 1.47 million. Kentucky has about 4.4 million residents, compared to 38 million in California.

Kentucky firearm vendors are required "to do an NICS background check each time they sell a firearm, unless the buyer has a Kentucky concealed carry permit," Duncan writes. Local gun dealer Dwayne Wurth "said that high number likely is related to the state running monthly background checks on concealed carry holders." He told Duncan, "The state itself runs background checks on people who have concealed carry. They run those every month to make sure they are still law abiding citizens. That's what they're supposed to do to."

While Kentucky businesses that sell firearms do not have to pay for the NICS background checks, other states do charge fees, such as Tennessee, where Wurth said the cost ranges from $10 to $25, Duncan writes. Checks can usually be done online, with responses often coming back within minutes. Kentucky issued 31,504 Carrying Concealed Deadly Weapon permits in 2014, down from 59,530 in 2013. In 2014, 601 licenses were revoked, 739 were suspended and 560 were denied. The Paducah Sun is behind a paywall but can be accessed by clicking here. (FBI map)