Function

• According to Minnesota Public Radio, felons, drug addicts, illegal aliens and anyone suffering from a serious mental illness are prohibited from buying a gun.
  
  

NICS

• According Minnesota Public Radio, background checks are performed using the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS.
  
  

Features

• Before selling a gun, the cashier is required to call the FBI and make sure that the customer is eligible to legally buy a gun, according to the FBI.
  
  

Results

• In the last decade, more than 100 million background checks have been performed, resulting in 700,000 denials, according to the FBI.
  
  

History

• According to the FBI, criminal background checks are required under the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993.