The information about how the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) would be affected if records related to sales of firearms by licensed dealers were destroyed within 24 hours after the transfers were allowed to proceed. Under the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, licensed dealers generally are not to transfer firearms to an individual until a NICS search determines that the transfer will not violate applicable federal or state law.2 For instance, persons prohibited by federal law from receiving a firearm include convicted felons, fugitives, unlawful drug users, and aliens illegally or unlawfully in the United States. However, if the background check is not completed within 3 business days, the dealer is not prohibited from transferring the firearm. Under current NICS regulations, records of "allowed" firearms sales can be retained for up to 90 days in a computer database (i.e., the NICS audit log) after which the records must be destroyed.2 The audit log contains information related to each background check requested by a licensed firearms dealer, including the NICS response (e.g., proceed or denied) and the history of all activity related to the transaction. According to the NICS regulations, information on allowed firearms sales is used only for purposes related to ensuring the proper operation of the system or conducting audits of the use of the system. Operational uses include evaluating system performance, identifying and resolving operational problems, generating statistical reports, and supporting the appeals process. System audits, in general, are designed to (1) monitor internal employee performance and adherence to established procedures and (2) discover misuse, e.g., unauthorized checks, or avoidance of the system.