Wednesday, March 26, 2014, Juneau, Alaska – The Alaska House of Representatives today passed a bill by Majority Leader Lance Pruitt to strengthen the state’s gun laws.

House Bill 366 was brought forward by the National Shooting Sports Foundation as part of their “FixNICS” initiative. Leader Pruitt agreed to carry the bill on their behalf. “It is good public policy,” Pruitt, R-Anchorage, said. “As the law stands today, there’s nothing in place. Federally-licensed firearms dealers could unknowingly sell a weapon to a person who is disqualified by the courts from owning one. This initiative and this bill end that.”

The bill allows the Alaska Dept. of Public Safety to receive identifying information from the Alaska Court System regarding individuals who are prohibited from firearm ownership due to an adjudication of mental illness or mental incompetence, and a resulting involuntary commitment for more than 30 days. The DPS would then transmit the limited identifying information to the Federal Bureau of Investigations for inclusion into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS.

The NICS is made up of available records from all participating states, where licensees and law enforcement can check to see if an individual wanting to purchase a firearm is disqualified from doing so. This bill also includes an important provision so that a person may apply to have their name removed from the database if a judge determines that they have fully recovered and are no longer a danger to themselves or society. This relief from disability was not previously available to Alaskans, and allows us to be in alignment with the NICS Improvement Act of 2007, which established the critical component allowing removal of a person’s name from NICS.

“Our state holds a steadfast tradition of the right to responsible firearm ownership,” Pruitt said. “House Bill 366 adds to that by bringing a well-balanced and thoughtful level of needed security to our firearms dealers and federal process. Our Caucus made Safe and Healthy Communities one of our Guiding Principles, and I am thankful to my colleagues for their votes, and look forward to the next steps in the process.”

HB 366, which passed unanimously, now moves to the Alaska Senate for consideration.