Republican U.S. Sen. Martha McSally has joined a bipartisan effort in the U.S. Senate that asks for additional funding for the Department of Justice staff to conduct criminal background checks in the next COVID-19 relief package.
The $25 million in additional funding is in response to increased firearm sales that began before the coronavirus pandemic in March and have continued. The FBI processed a record 3.7 million background checks over a five-week period this year.
The funding asked for in the letter would be used to hire more staff for National Instant Criminal Background Checks (NICS) for firearm sales.
McSally along with Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas and Democrats Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said additional NICS examiners are critical in ensuring accurate completion of background checks and ensuring second amendment rights.
