BJA FY 13 Improving the Completeness of Firearm Background Checks through Enhanced State Data Sharing | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The BJA FY 13 Improving the Completeness of Firearm Background Checks through Enhanced State Data Sharing grant opportunity was a one-time, competitive funding initiative from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) designed to strengthen firearm background checks by closing key data gaps in the FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Building on the long-running National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) and the NICS Act Record Improvement Program (NARIP), this solicitation focused on improving what information is available at the moment a firearm purchase background check is conducted. The central aim was straightforward: help states ensure that records that legally disqualify an individual from purchasing certain firearms are complete, accurate, and quickly accessible through NICS, thereby improving enforcement of existing gun laws.

The opportunity was driven by the recognition that persistent information gaps can prevent NICS from flagging prohibited purchasers, especially when disqualifying records are missing, delayed, incomplete, or difficult to match reliably to the correct person. As a result, BJA (working closely with the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the FBI) prioritized proposals that promised the biggest measurable gains in three areas: reporting completeness, accuracy of information, and inclusion of disqualifying record categories that were historically underreported. The solicitation highlighted several particularly important data sets for improvement: mental health information that triggers firearm prohibitions under applicable law, domestic violence protection orders, active warrants, and final felony court dispositions. In practical terms, applicants were expected to improve how these records are captured by state and local systems, how they are validated and updated, and how they are transmitted or made accessible for NICS purposes.

A notable emphasis of the program was on improving positive identification and record matching, since background checks can be undermined when records cannot be confidently linked to the right person. To address this, the solicitation encouraged expanded use of biometric identifiers, especially fingerprints, to strengthen identity matching and support more reliable record linking across agencies and databases. This focus reflects a common operational challenge in criminal justice data sharing: even when records exist, mismatched identities, missing identifiers, and inconsistent data formats can keep those records from being usable in a real-time check.

Funding for this initiative flowed through the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program (CFDA 16.738), which is the primary federal criminal justice funding stream supporting state, local, and tribal jurisdictions across the full justice system. The solicitation framed this award as a complement to NCHIP and NARIP, offering expanded resources and onsite support aimed at accelerating progress on the specific priority gaps described above while also sustaining ongoing record improvement operations already underway in many states. The solicitation also referenced the broader statutory flexibility in JAG authorities to address extraordinary crime increases, situating this effort within a wider set of strategies used historically to respond to gun violence and related public safety challenges.

Structurally, the solicitation offered two distinct funding categories with different eligible applicants and purposes. Category 1, Implementation Grants, targeted state-level execution of improved reporting and data sharing. Eligible applicants for Category 1 were state agencies with the authority and capacity to implement statewide data sharing and reporting improvements aligned with the solicitation. The preferred applicant was the state administering agency (SAA) for BJA funds, but other state agencies could apply if they included documentation, such as a letter of support from the SAA, showing commitment to statewide coordination. BJA signaled it expected no more than one application per state, reflecting a strong preference for comprehensive statewide strategies rather than fragmented, agency-by-agency proposals. Category 2, Technical Assistance, was aimed at organizations capable of providing expertise, tools, and support to help jurisdictions implement these changes; eligible applicants included nonprofit and for-profit organizations (including tribal entities) and institutions of higher education (including tribal institutions). For-profit applicants had to agree to forgo any profit or management fee, reinforcing that the technical assistance dollars were intended to maximize direct program value rather than overhead or profit.

Administratively, this was a discretionary grant program with no cost sharing or matching requirement. The opportunity was posted March 22, 2013, and closed May 13, 2013, with an archive date of June 12, 2013. The stated award ceiling was $1,500,000, and the award floor was listed as $0 (which typically indicates that award sizes could vary and that the agency did not set a minimum guaranteed amount). Applicants were directed to use Grants.gov for submission, with technical support available through the Grants.gov help desk.

Overall, the grant opportunity was designed to help states and supporting partners modernize and tighten the information pipeline behind firearm background checks by improving the completeness, speed, and matchability of records that determine firearm purchase eligibility. The strongest proposals under this solicitation were those that demonstrated statewide coordination, targeted the specific underreported disqualifying record categories named in the announcement, and could credibly show that the project would produce substantial improvements in the volume, quality, and usability of records available to NICS during a firearm background check.

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Next opportunity: FY 2013 National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP)

Previous opportunity: Home and Family Based Approaches for the Prevention or Management of Overweight or Obesity in Early Childhood (R21)

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