The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Majority Leader
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20004

The Honorable Chuck Schumer
Minority Leader
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20004

Dear Majority Leader McConnell and Minority Leader Schumer,
We, the undersigned organizations, urge the Senate to vote on a clean Fix NICS Act of 2017 (S.2135)
before the upcoming recess, including through inclusion in appropriations legislation. The shooting in
Sutherland Springs, Texas demonstrates the deficiencies in the nation’s background check system. The
Fix NICS Act of 2017 would improve key elements of the background check system, particularly
domestic violence criminal history and protective order records. The bipartisan Fix NICS Act shows
Congressional support for improvements that would enhance the entry of records essential to the
implementation of a robust background check system. A diverse community of victim advocates, law
enforcement, gun violence prevention groups and prosecutors agree that increased entry of domestic
violence records into federal databases would help the justice system do the work of protecting victims
and enhancing public safety.
The Fix NICS Act would reauthorize the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) and
the National Criminal Background Check System Act Record Improvement Program (NARIP). Fix NICS
would also require each state to develop an implementation plan in collaboration with the Department of
Justice, incentivizing each state to enhance their record entry into the federal databases that support NICS.
The Fix NICS Act is designed to ensure prohibiting records are submitted to NICS in a timely fashion and
that they contain the information the FBI needs to make a determination on a potential purchaser’s
eligibility.
Domestic violence abusers with guns are a danger to their victims, to their families, to law enforcement,
and to their communities. Fix NICS will have a significant impact on the safety of victims of domestic
violence. We urge you to vote on this bipartisan, bicameral, commonsense, noncontroversial bill before
the upcoming recess.
Sincerely,
Brady Campaign united with Million Mom March
Casa de Esperanza: National Latin@ Network for Healthy Families and Communities
Coalition to Stop Gun Violence
Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association
Futures Without Violence
Jewish Women International
Legal Momentum
Major Cities Chiefs
National Alliance On Mental Illness
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
National Council of Jewish Women

 National Criminal Justice Association
National District Attorneys Association
National Domestic Violence Hotline
National League of Cities
National Network to End Domestic Violence
Treatment Advocacy Center
YWCA