WASHINGTON — The Justice Department will offer states more than $20 million to strengthen their gun-background checks.
States are critical to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. They keep criminal histories and records of people barred from having guns because of domestic violence or for mental-health reasons.
The $20 million would help fill information gaps by improving reporting to the national system on involuntary commitments to mental-health facilities, felony convictions, misdemeanor convictions for domestic violence, domestic- violence restraining orders and active criminal warrants.