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Guns and mental illness

Gun dealers are required by federal law to submit buyers’ information for a background check, which scans information on three databases — the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), the Interstate Identification Index, and the National Crime Information Center.

According to a report by the Government Accountability Office in July, the total number of mental health records in the NICS database increased from 126,000 to 1.2 million between 2004 and 2011, largely due to a dozen states stepping up their efforts to provide information.

Between 1999 and 2009, 28,637 gun purchases had been rejected because the buyer was flagged for mental health issues.