Firearms Transactions Conducted
Listed below are links to the statistics for the Firearms
Program for 1997, reflecting the overall number of calls
received, the frequency and time of the calls, and number
of firearms transactions including the number of approvals
and denials.
1997 Total Firearms Transactions
Total Telephone calls vs. Total
Firearms Transactions, By Month
Total Firearms Transactions
Reasons For Denial By Month
The Georgia Firearms Program received 89,109 telephone
calls from federally licensed firearms dealers throughout
the State of Georgia during 1997. The Firearms Program processed
83,673 handgun instant background checks as a result of
the telephone calls received.
The instant background checks resulted in 76,514 or 91%
of the checks being approved for the handgun sale. A total
of 7,142 or 9% of the checks resulted in a denial of the
sale.
The following is a synopsis of the Firearms Program activity
for 1997:
Total Calls Answered..................89,109
Total Transaction.........................83,673
Total Transaction Approved.......76,537
Total Transactions Denied..........7,136
Felony Conviction...................................................1,727
Open Felony Arrest(No Final Disposition)........4,974
Outstanding Felony Warrant......................................81
Mental Health Reasons................................................1
Family Violence Related............................................35
In May 1997, an agreement was entered into
between the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and VeriFAX,
LLC, of Nashville, Tennessee to provide an on-line instant
background check service to the large volume firearms dealers
in this state. This will allow the firearms dealer to enter
and receive electronically the same information he now receives
from a Firearms Program Call Center Operator. This will
save the firearms dealer and the Firearms Program both time
and expense.
VeriFAX began installation of point of sale terminals in
the large volume firearms dealers during the month of November
1997. The impact of the new terminals was immediately evident
as the number of background check transactions exceeded
the number of telephone calls during December 1997. This
is the first month in the history of the Firearms Program
that the number of transactions exceeded the number of calls.
The Gun Control Act of 1968 (18 U.S.C. 922(g)) was amended
on October 1, 1996, to provide for a prohibition of persons
from receiving or possessing firearms "who have been convicted
in any court of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence."
Changes were made to GCIC's computerized criminal history
database as well as the Firearms Program's system to search
for this information before approving handgun sales. During
1997, three hundred fifty-three (353) handgun sales were
denied for this reason.
The Firearms Program collected a total of $368,710.00 in
instant background check fees from firearms dealers during
1997. Firearms dealers are billed monthly at the rate of
$5.00 for each instant background check performed. This
fee is charged to the prospective purchaser by the firearms
dealer.
