WASHINGTON, Oct. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — NSSF^®, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, announced today that the Firearm Handler Check (FHC) Final Rule will be published tomorrow in the Federal Register, the culmination of a long sought NSSF-led effort to improve firearm industry and community safety. The FHC Final Rule will allow all federal firearms licensees (FFLs) to run background check verifications on current and prospective employees through the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Previously, the NICS system was only utilized to run background checks on prospective firearm purchasers. NSSF long advocated for the ability of FFLs to run background checks on their own employees and prospective hires to ensure no prohibited individuals could have access to firearm inventory at licensed premises. The FHC Final Rule has an effective date of 30 days from tomorrow. A public inspection version of the rule can be viewed here and the final rule will not vary.

“The publication of the Firearm Handler Check Final Rule is a tremendous victory for the firearm industry and greatly improves the ability of firearm industry members to keep their businesses and their communities safer by ensuring that federal firearms licensees do not hire prohibited persons from working on their premises,” stated NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane. “We all want to keep firearms out of the hands of those who should not possess them. That includes current or prospective employees who might be hired at a licensed firearm business but who actually is not allowed to purchase or possess a firearm, unbeknownst to the FFL owner. This new final rule is the culmination of a long-held priority of the firearm industry and will help increase safety in communities across the country. We thank the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for agreeing with us that this is a major industry priority and for publishing the final rule in the Federal Register.”

NSSF fought to have the provision included in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) that was signed into law in 2022 and has been pushing to get the Final Rule published since that time. NSSF also secured a provision in the BSCA that allows licensed firearm businesses to check firearm serial numbers against the database of firearms that have been reported as stolen. NSSF will closely monitor and alert our members when important information becomes available.

About NSSF

NSSF is the trade association for the firearm industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers nationwide. For more information, visit nssf.org.

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SOURCE NATIONAL SHOOTING SPORTS FOUNDATION