The Bureau of Justice Statistics is offering the NICS Act Record Improvement Program (NARIP) Grant to enhance firearm prohibition record reporting.

The agency designated by the Governor in each state to administer the National Criminal History Improvement Program (34 U.S.C. § 40301)
The state or territory central administrative office or similar entity designated by statute or regulation to administer federal grant funds on behalf of the jurisdiction’s court system
Federally recognized tribal governments.

To advance Executive Order 13929 Safe Policing for Safe Communities, the Attorney General determined that all state, local, and university or college law enforcement agencies must be certified by an approved independent credentialing body or have started the certification process to be eligible for FY 2021 DOJ discretionary grant funding. To become certified, the law enforcement agency must meet two mandatory conditions: (1) the agency’s use of force policies adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local laws; and (2) the agency’s use of force policies prohibit chokeholds except in situations where use of deadly force is allowed by law. The certification requirement also applies to law enforcement agencies receiving DOJ discretionary grant funding through a subaward. For detailed information on this new certification requirement, please visit https://cops.usdoj.gov/SafePolicingEO to access the Standards for Certification on Safe Policing for Safe Communities, Implementation Fact Sheet, and List of Designated Independent Credentialing Bodies.

For additional information on eligibility, see Eligibility Information.

All recipients and subrecipients (including any for-profit organization) must forgo any profit or management fee.

The NIAA authorized a grant program to assist states in providing certain information to the NICS and prescribes grant penalties for noncompliance with the NIAA’s record completeness goals. Additionally, pursuant to the Act, there are certain conditions, described under Eligibility Information that a state must satisfy in advance of receiving grants under the Act.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) is publishing this notice to announce the continuation of the NICS Act Record Improvement Program (NARIP) in fiscal year (FY) 2021, identify the program priorities, and provide information on application requirements. This year, BJS is prioritizing the use of funds for two purposes: (1) to enhance the completeness, automation, and transmittal of records to state and federal systems used by the NICS, and (2) to improve the overall reporting of persons prohibited from possessing firearms for reasons related to domestic violence and mental health to the NICS.