While interviewing Rich Oschner, owner of Axmen South Firearms in Missoula on Wednesday afternoon, April 10, the FBI's computerized NICS (National Instant Criminal Background Check System), was down....again.

Oschner said "right now, as we speak, I can't even get through to the NIC center. The computer system is down, they're not taking calls through the center, so right now I'm not able to even run a background check." As he watched the computer screen intently, Oschner continued, "the last two customers who left just as you were coming in, walked out without their guns because I couldn't run a background check."

Regarding the FBI staff who run the NICS, Oschner said, "I think those people are just overworked and understaffed. Right after the last shooting incident, we had entire days when we couldn't get through."

Oschner said, as a gun store retailer, he favors tighter background checks when it comes to mental health issues. "that's one thing I would like to see in the system, something that would somehow tell us that they know this person is dangerous to themselves or to others. Because, that's the last thing I want to do as a business owner, is to sell a gun to someone who shouldn't have one."

Oschner was careful to say that a background check is not the same as gun registration.

CNS News dot com reported on Wednesday that the FBI has conducted 32 background checks every minute that Barack Obama has been President of the United States.

Axmen South owner Rich Oschner

 

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