HB 1269 Summary

• Prohibits persons diagnosed and committed to mental health institutions from purchasing or possessing firearms, unless they have not suffered from the disability for three years or successfully petitioned for relief under the bill.

• Requires courts to make findings about whether federal firearm prohibitions under 18 U.S.C. 922(d)(4) and (g)(4) apply in cases involving mental illness, mental deficiency, involuntary hospitalization, guardianship, or conservatorship appointments.

• Establishes a petition process allowing individuals to seek removal of firearm-related disabilities through the court, with hearings held in closed proceedings and petitions limited to one filing every two years.

• Directs court clerks to forward names and nonclinical identifying information to the Bureau of Criminal Investigation for inclusion in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System database.

• Appropriates $585,859 from the NICS Improvement Act grant for the biennium beginning July 1, 2011, including funding for 1.5 full-time equivalent positions to administer the system.