2024-06284. Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Extension of a Previously Approved Collection; Firearm Inquiry Statistics (FIST) Program

AGENCY:

Bureau of Justice Statistics, Department of Justice.

ACTION:

30-Day notice.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Justice (DOJ), Bureau of Justice Statistics, will be submitting the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES:

Comments are encouraged and will be accepted for 30 days until April 25, 2024.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

If you have comments especially on the estimated public burden or associated response time, suggestions, or need a copy of the proposed information collection instrument with instructions or additional information, please contact: Elizabeth Davis, Statistician, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 810 Seventh Street NW, Washington, DC 20531 (email: [e-mail]; telephone: [phone]).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The proposed information collection was previously published in the Federal Register at 89 FR 3429–3430, on Thursday, January 18, 2024, allowing a 60-day comment period. BJS did not receive any comments in response to the 60-day notice.

Written comments and suggestions from the public and affected agencies concerning the proposed collection of information are encouraged. Your comments should address one or more of the following four points:

—Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;

—Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

—Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and/or

—Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.

Written comments and recommendations for this information collection should be submitted within 30 days of the publication of this notice on the following website www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain. Find this particular information collection by selecting “Currently under 30-day Review—Open for Public Comments” or by using the search function and entering either the title of the information collection or the OMB Control Number 1121–0314. This information collection request may be viewed at www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view Department of Justice, information collections currently under review by OMB.

DOJ seeks PRA authorization for this information collection for three (3) years. OMB authorization for an ICR cannot be for more than three (3) years without renewal. The DOJ notes that information collection requirements submitted to the OMB for existing ICRs receive a month-to-month extension while they undergo review.

Overview of This Information Collection

1. Type of Information Collection: Extension of a previously approved collection.

2. Title of the Form/Collection: 2023–2026 Firearm Inquiry Statistics (FIST) Program.

3. Agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of the Department of Justice sponsoring the collection: The form number is FIST–1. The applicable component within the Department of Justice is the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), in the Office of Justice Programs.

4. Affected public who will be asked or required to respond, as well as a brief abstract: Affected public are State and local government.

Abstract: Through the Firearm Inquiry Statistics (FIST) Program, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) obtains annual information from State and local checking agencies responsible for maintaining records on the number of background checks for firearm transfers or permits that were issued, processed, tracked, or conducted during the calendar year. Specifically, State and local checking agencies are asked to provide information on the number of applications and denials for firearm transfers received or tracked by the agency and reasons why applications were denied. BJS combines these data with the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) transaction data to produce comprehensive national statistics on firearm applications and denials resulting from the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 and similar State laws governing background checks and firearm transfers. BJS will also collect information from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) on denials screened and referred to ATF field offices for investigation and possible prosecution. BJS publishes FIST data on the BJS website in statistical tables and uses the information to respond to inquiries from Congress, Federal, State, and local government officials, researchers, students, the media, and other members of the general public interested in criminal justice statistics.

5. Obligation to Respond: Voluntary.

6. Total Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,009.

7. Estimated Time per Respondent: 25 minutes.

8. Frequency: Annual.

9. Total Estimated Annual Time Burden: 420 hours.

10. Total Estimated Annual Other Costs Burden: $14,862.

If additional information is required, contact: Darwin Arceo, Department Clearance Officer, Policy and Planning Staff, Justice Management Division, United States Department of Justice, Two Constitution Square, 145 N Street NE, 4W–218, Washington, DC 20530.

Dated: March 3, 2024.

Darwin Arceo,

Department Clearance Officer for PRA, U.S. Department of Justice.