Florida Stopped Gun Background Checks For A Year After Official Couldn’t Log In

[OldLady]

The employee responsible said she couldn’t remember her information to log in to a national database that keeps track of criminals.

For over a year, Florida allowed citizens to obtain concealed weapon permits without a background check because an employee couldn’t log in to a national database that tracked people deemed unfit to own weapons in other states, a previously unreported government investigation has revealed.

The 2017 document, which was first reported on Friday by the Tampa Bay Times, revealed that starting in February 2016, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services stopped using an FBI crime database because an employee in charge of background checks could not log in to the system.

The database, called the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, is used by state officials to keep track of applicants who want to carry guns and who may also have a criminal history or documented mental health issues in other states.

The issue was not corrected until March 2017, according to the investigation, which was conducted by the state agriculture department’s Office of Inspector General.

Record requests by the Tampa Bay Times revealed the negligence, with the final state investigation revealing that it was employee Lisa Wilde who had a “login issue” with the database but never followed up to get it fixed.

Wilde told investigators that she “neglected to do it for almost a year.” It was ultimately more than a year.

“I dropped the ball ― I know I did that, I should have been doing it and I didn’t,” Wilde said.

As the Times points out, tens of thousands of applications went unchecked during that period, in a state that saw a surge of requests to get weapon permits following the June 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting that left 50 people dead. The state saw horror again in February of this year when 17 people were gunned down at a high school in Parkland, Florida.

When questioned by investigators, Wilde looked “bewildered, and stated: I had a login issue and never followed up,” the investigative report says.

State Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, a Republican now running for governor, bragged in 2012 that under his leadership, the process of getting a concealed permit application fell from 12 weeks to 35 days.

Wilde is now out of a job, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Florida Stopped Gun Background Checks For A Year After Official Couldn’t Log In

Adam Putnam’s office stopped concealed weapons background checks for a year because it couldn’t log in

Such incompetence is unbelievable! What do you think?

This kind of stuff happens everywhere, which is why the Fix NICS bill was so important. When I was a caseworker, we routinely ran criminal background checks on clients. On more than one occasion, when I interviewed them and asked about any criminal history, they were telling me about arrests and incarcerations that were not on the background checks from the State reporting authority.
Come to find out, about a third of courts weren't bothering to report to the state for chunks of time, up to a year or more. I didn't know who to complain to--as a state employee, I think I would have been canned, tarred and feathered if I'd gone public. My supervisor told me to report those incidents as they arose to the reporting agency and that was it. Fixed a handful while how many weren't included on the background checks?
That's all before it would even get to NICS.

Wow....you missed it.

If you fix NICS, and the woman doesn't do the background check because she forgot her password....what good was Fix NICS? Since the background check wasn't done?

And as has been pointed out.....you guys want these people to control our guns....

I think you're the one who is "missing it," Guy. Garbage in, garbage out. If the reports can't be trusted to be accurate, the background check isn't complete, is it? Can cause a public safety issue if the wrong person gets a weapon? Don't forget the military's SOP not to report domestic violence convictions to NICS. Has that actually been "fixed?" That story went dark real fast and if anyone is trying to follow up on it, I'm sure they're buried in bureaucratic foot dragging and will be for years.

Yes, it was a little different example from the OP's. But they're related and actually mine is worse.

 

[OldLady]

Lisa Wilde lost her job - but she should also be prosecuted.

“To be clear, a criminal background investigation was completed on every single application,” Putnam said. “Upon discovery of this former employee’s negligence in not conducting the further review required on 365 applications, we immediately completed full background checks on those 365 applications, which resulted in 291 revocations.” ibid

291 prohibited persons not eligible for a concealed weapon license are also 291 prohibited persons not eligible to possess firearms, where we can assume many of those prohibited persons indeed possess firearms.

He should have know earlier. He is in charge.

How would he know what a state employee buried in a cubicle somewhere was doing? Maybe they'll start checking from now on, though.

Yes....until the person who is supposed to be checking on the other employees fails to check on the other employees........

True. A supervisor somewhere has egg on his/her face.

 

[2aguy]

The employee responsible said she couldn’t remember her information to log in to a national database that keeps track of criminals.

For over a year, Florida allowed citizens to obtain concealed weapon permits without a background check because an employee couldn’t log in to a national database that tracked people deemed unfit to own weapons in other states, a previously unreported government investigation has revealed.

The 2017 document, which was first reported on Friday by the Tampa Bay Times, revealed that starting in February 2016, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services stopped using an FBI crime database because an employee in charge of background checks could not log in to the system.

The database, called the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, is used by state officials to keep track of applicants who want to carry guns and who may also have a criminal history or documented mental health issues in other states.

The issue was not corrected until March 2017, according to the investigation, which was conducted by the state agriculture department’s Office of Inspector General.

Record requests by the Tampa Bay Times revealed the negligence, with the final state investigation revealing that it was employee Lisa Wilde who had a “login issue” with the database but never followed up to get it fixed.

Wilde told investigators that she “neglected to do it for almost a year.” It was ultimately more than a year.

“I dropped the ball ― I know I did that, I should have been doing it and I didn’t,” Wilde said.

As the Times points out, tens of thousands of applications went unchecked during that period, in a state that saw a surge of requests to get weapon permits following the June 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting that left 50 people dead. The state saw horror again in February of this year when 17 people were gunned down at a high school in Parkland, Florida.

When questioned by investigators, Wilde looked “bewildered, and stated: I had a login issue and never followed up,” the investigative report says.

State Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, a Republican now running for governor, bragged in 2012 that under his leadership, the process of getting a concealed permit application fell from 12 weeks to 35 days.

Wilde is now out of a job, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Florida Stopped Gun Background Checks For A Year After Official Couldn’t Log In

Adam Putnam’s office stopped concealed weapons background checks for a year because it couldn’t log in

Such incompetence is unbelievable! What do you think?

This kind of stuff happens everywhere, which is why the Fix NICS bill was so important. When I was a caseworker, we routinely ran criminal background checks on clients. On more than one occasion, when I interviewed them and asked about any criminal history, they were telling me about arrests and incarcerations that were not on the background checks from the State reporting authority.
Come to find out, about a third of courts weren't bothering to report to the state for chunks of time, up to a year or more. I didn't know who to complain to--as a state employee, I think I would have been canned, tarred and feathered if I'd gone public. My supervisor told me to report those incidents as they arose to the reporting agency and that was it. Fixed a handful while how many weren't included on the background checks?
That's all before it would even get to NICS.

Wow....you missed it.

If you fix NICS, and the woman doesn't do the background check because she forgot her password....what good was Fix NICS? Since the background check wasn't done?

And as has been pointed out.....you guys want these people to control our guns....

I think you're the one who is "missing it," Guy. Garbage in, garbage out. If the reports can't be trusted to be accurate, the background check isn't complete, is it? Can cause a public safety issue if the wrong person gets a weapon? Don't forget the military's SOP not to report domestic violence convictions to NICS. Has that actually been "fixed?" That story went dark real fast and if anyone is trying to follow up on it, I'm sure they're buried in bureaucratic foot dragging and will be for years.

Yes, it was a little different example from the OP's. But they're related and actually mine is worse.

She didn't do the background check...so it doesn't matter if NICS is fixed if she isn't even doing the work.....

 

[2aguy]

Lisa Wilde lost her job - but she should also be prosecuted.

“To be clear, a criminal background investigation was completed on every single application,” Putnam said. “Upon discovery of this former employee’s negligence in not conducting the further review required on 365 applications, we immediately completed full background checks on those 365 applications, which resulted in 291 revocations.” ibid

291 prohibited persons not eligible for a concealed weapon license are also 291 prohibited persons not eligible to possess firearms, where we can assume many of those prohibited persons indeed possess firearms.

He should have know earlier. He is in charge.

How would he know what a state employee buried in a cubicle somewhere was doing? Maybe they'll start checking from now on, though.

Yes....until the person who is supposed to be checking on the other employees fails to check on the other employees........

True. A supervisor somewhere has egg on his/her face.

The truth is....it doesn't matter.......permits to carry a gun are to generate revenue, and to screw over law abiding gun owners.

We don't need permits......as I already pointed out....if you are stopped by police, and they run your name, they will know if you are a criminal, and if you have a gun, they can already arrest you....no permit is needed to do this, they can already do it.....

If you commit a crime with a gun, it doesn't matter if you have a permit or not...so again, you can already be arrested for this.....

This is why many states do not require a permit...they are pointless and unnecessary....

 

[OldLady]

“To be clear, a criminal background investigation was completed on every single application,” Putnam said. “Upon discovery of this former employee’s negligence in not conducting the further review required on 365 applications, we immediately completed full background checks on those 365 applications, which resulted in 291 revocations.” ibid

291 prohibited persons not eligible for a concealed weapon license are also 291 prohibited persons not eligible to possess firearms, where we can assume many of those prohibited persons indeed possess firearms.

He should have know earlier. He is in charge.

How would he know what a state employee buried in a cubicle somewhere was doing? Maybe they'll start checking from now on, though.

Yes....until the person who is supposed to be checking on the other employees fails to check on the other employees........

True. A supervisor somewhere has egg on his/her face.

The truth is....it doesn't matter.......permits to carry a gun are to generate revenue, and to screw over law abiding gun owners.

We don't need permits......as I already pointed out....if you are stopped by police, and they run your name, they will know if you are a criminal, and if you have a gun, they can already arrest you....no permit is needed to do this, they can already do it.....

If you commit a crime with a gun, it doesn't matter if you have a permit or not...so again, you can already be arrested for this.....

This is why many states do not require a permit...they are pointless and unnecessary....

.if you are stopped by police, and they run your name, they will know if you are a criminal,
Not if the courts didn't report. If it is not on the data base, no, the cops won't know either. That is why courts need to be compelled to report and to keep those reports up to date. Background checks are no good without accurate information.

 

[2aguy]

He should have know earlier. He is in charge.

How would he know what a state employee buried in a cubicle somewhere was doing? Maybe they'll start checking from now on, though.

Yes....until the person who is supposed to be checking on the other employees fails to check on the other employees........

True. A supervisor somewhere has egg on his/her face.

The truth is....it doesn't matter.......permits to carry a gun are to generate revenue, and to screw over law abiding gun owners.

We don't need permits......as I already pointed out....if you are stopped by police, and they run your name, they will know if you are a criminal, and if you have a gun, they can already arrest you....no permit is needed to do this, they can already do it.....

If you commit a crime with a gun, it doesn't matter if you have a permit or not...so again, you can already be arrested for this.....

This is why many states do not require a permit...they are pointless and unnecessary....

.if you are stopped by police, and they run your name, they will know if you are a criminal,
Not if the courts didn't report. If it is not on the data base, no, the cops won't know either. That is why courts need to be compelled to report and to keep those reports up to date. Background checks are no good without accurate information.

You don't understand....if you are a felon, you will be in the system that the police use.....if you have a gun on you and you are a felon, they will arrest you....no need for a permit for this to happen. They are not the same system...

 

[Papageorgio]

Obviously this woman was incompetent and should have been fired. She was lazy and it would have taken a few minutes to correct the issue. I’m not sure what you could prosecute her for but the whole situation shows us how messed up the work force is and how minimum wage jobs could be paying people much more than they are worth.

The state of Florida needs to make sure safeguards are put into place to prevent this from ever happening again.

 

[OldLady]

How would he know what a state employee buried in a cubicle somewhere was doing? Maybe they'll start checking from now on, though.

Yes....until the person who is supposed to be checking on the other employees fails to check on the other employees........

True. A supervisor somewhere has egg on his/her face.

The truth is....it doesn't matter.......permits to carry a gun are to generate revenue, and to screw over law abiding gun owners.

We don't need permits......as I already pointed out....if you are stopped by police, and they run your name, they will know if you are a criminal, and if you have a gun, they can already arrest you....no permit is needed to do this, they can already do it.....

If you commit a crime with a gun, it doesn't matter if you have a permit or not...so again, you can already be arrested for this.....

This is why many states do not require a permit...they are pointless and unnecessary....

.if you are stopped by police, and they run your name, they will know if you are a criminal,
Not if the courts didn't report. If it is not on the data base, no, the cops won't know either. That is why courts need to be compelled to report and to keep those reports up to date. Background checks are no good without accurate information.

You don't understand....if you are a felon, you will be in the system that the police use.....if you have a gun on you and you are a felon, they will arrest you....no need for a permit for this to happen. They are not the same system...

What I am talking about WAS the police system. Now do YOU understand?

 

[Rustic]

The employee responsible said she couldn’t remember her information to log in to a national database that keeps track of criminals.

For over a year, Florida allowed citizens to obtain concealed weapon permits without a background check because an employee couldn’t log in to a national database that tracked people deemed unfit to own weapons in other states, a previously unreported government investigation has revealed.

The 2017 document, which was first reported on Friday by the Tampa Bay Times, revealed that starting in February 2016, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services stopped using an FBI crime database because an employee in charge of background checks could not log in to the system.

The database, called the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, is used by state officials to keep track of applicants who want to carry guns and who may also have a criminal history or documented mental health issues in other states.

The issue was not corrected until March 2017, according to the investigation, which was conducted by the state agriculture department’s Office of Inspector General.

Record requests by the Tampa Bay Times revealed the negligence, with the final state investigation revealing that it was employee Lisa Wilde who had a “login issue” with the database but never followed up to get it fixed.

Wilde told investigators that she “neglected to do it for almost a year.” It was ultimately more than a year.

“I dropped the ball ― I know I did that, I should have been doing it and I didn’t,” Wilde said.

As the Times points out, tens of thousands of applications went unchecked during that period, in a state that saw a surge of requests to get weapon permits following the June 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting that left 50 people dead. The state saw horror again in February of this year when 17 people were gunned down at a high school in Parkland, Florida.

When questioned by investigators, Wilde looked “bewildered, and stated: I had a login issue and never followed up,” the investigative report says.

State Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, a Republican now running for governor, bragged in 2012 that under his leadership, the process of getting a concealed permit application fell from 12 weeks to 35 days.

Wilde is now out of a job, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Florida Stopped Gun Background Checks For A Year After Official Couldn’t Log In

Adam Putnam’s office stopped concealed weapons background checks for a year because it couldn’t log in

Such incompetence is unbelievable! What do you think?

The Federal government has always been incompetent... what else would you expect?

 

[miketx]

The employee responsible said she couldn’t remember her information to log in to a national database that keeps track of criminals.

For over a year, Florida allowed citizens to obtain concealed weapon permits without a background check because an employee couldn’t log in to a national database that tracked people deemed unfit to own weapons in other states, a previously unreported government investigation has revealed.

The 2017 document, which was first reported on Friday by the Tampa Bay Times, revealed that starting in February 2016, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services stopped using an FBI crime database because an employee in charge of background checks could not log in to the system.

The database, called the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, is used by state officials to keep track of applicants who want to carry guns and who may also have a criminal history or documented mental health issues in other states.

The issue was not corrected until March 2017, according to the investigation, which was conducted by the state agriculture department’s Office of Inspector General.

Record requests by the Tampa Bay Times revealed the negligence, with the final state investigation revealing that it was employee Lisa Wilde who had a “login issue” with the database but never followed up to get it fixed.

Wilde told investigators that she “neglected to do it for almost a year.” It was ultimately more than a year.

“I dropped the ball ― I know I did that, I should have been doing it and I didn’t,” Wilde said.

As the Times points out, tens of thousands of applications went unchecked during that period, in a state that saw a surge of requests to get weapon permits following the June 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting that left 50 people dead. The state saw horror again in February of this year when 17 people were gunned down at a high school in Parkland, Florida.

When questioned by investigators, Wilde looked “bewildered, and stated: I had a login issue and never followed up,” the investigative report says.

State Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, a Republican now running for governor, bragged in 2012 that under his leadership, the process of getting a concealed permit application fell from 12 weeks to 35 days.

Wilde is now out of a job, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Florida Stopped Gun Background Checks For A Year After Official Couldn’t Log In

Adam Putnam’s office stopped concealed weapons background checks for a year because it couldn’t log in

Such incompetence is unbelievable! What do you think?

I think you are full of shit. The FBI does those back ground checks.

 

[Polishprince]

It is small potatoes but do you agree the head of Dept of Ag Putnam being the head man should have had a grasp on this? Should he continue to run for Governor?

Its a big state, with many thousands of staff, I'm not sure that its realistic to expect that kind of detailed supervision. Sort of like suggesting that the President should be blamed if a mailman is screwing up.

 

[protectionist]

291 prohibited persons not eligible for a concealed weapon license are also 291 prohibited persons not eligible to possess firearms, where we can assume many of those prohibited persons indeed possess firearms.

Ditto with those protected by Obama's PROMISE Program. One example ? >> Nicolas Cruz.

 

[Defiant1]

Of course libtards think this is a big deal.
They think it means there are people with guns who shouldn't have guns.
It only means the people who were eventually denied can't carry concealed.
In Florida you don't need a concealed carry license to carry a loaded weapon in your vehicle.
In Florida you don't need a license to own a weapon.

 

[Flash]

The Fla. Dept of agriculture? The people who care for orange trees are also responsible for concealed weapons permits?

All licensing is administrated by that department. They had to put it somewhere.

The problem is that the state hires incompetent minorities. They screw up everything. I am sure it is the same in other states.

Diversity and affirmative action in government hiring produces incompetent workers.

 

[JoeB131]

Of course it is. And that is the sort of people you want to have the guns. So what does that make you?

Someone who is less worried about bureaucratic incompetence than crazy people with guns?

 

[westwall]

Of course it is. And that is the sort of people you want to have the guns. So what does that make you?

Someone who is less worried about bureaucratic incompetence than crazy people with guns?

Bureaucratic incompetence leads to the "official" people with guns, doing very bad things.

 

[JoeB131]

Bureaucratic incompetence leads to the "official" people with guns, doing very bad things.

sure it does, buddy.

Hey, true story. When government do horrible things, it's usually with the overwhelming support of it's people, who usually don't do anything about it until after it happens.

For instance, despite what you hear from NRA propaganda, German citizens had lots of privately owned guns, and the Nazi actually repealed the gun laws the Weimar Republic had passed.

And not a one of those Good Germans ran out with his gun and stopped the Gestapo from taking their Jewish neighbors away. Those "Good Germans" fought to the last old man and little boy to defend Hitler.

So, no, I'm not going to say, "Let's let all the crazy people have guns because the government might do something bad some day, maybe!"

Because that would be stupid.

 

[JoeB131]

Ditto with those protected by Obama's PROMISE Program. One example ? >> Nicolas Cruz.

who was never convicted of a crime?

 

[2aguy]

Bureaucratic incompetence leads to the "official" people with guns, doing very bad things.

sure it does, buddy.

Hey, true story. When government do horrible things, it's usually with the overwhelming support of it's people, who usually don't do anything about it until after it happens.

For instance, despite what you hear from NRA propaganda, German citizens had lots of privately owned guns, and the Nazi actually repealed the gun laws the Weimar Republic had passed.

And not a one of those Good Germans ran out with his gun and stopped the Gestapo from taking their Jewish neighbors away. Those "Good Germans" fought to the last old man and little boy to defend Hitler.

So, no, I'm not going to say, "Let's let all the crazy people have guns because the government might do something bad some day, maybe!"

Because that would be stupid.

And you lie, again....the socialists in Germany repealed gun laws for Party members....not for Jews and the political enemies of the party.... you know the ones the nazis sent to the gas chambers.... you guys always think you can lie about that.....and the nazis used the registration lists created by the German government in the 1920s.....

When you have no guns, and government goons come for your neighbor, and your neighbor goes quietly because they can't resist..... there is nothing you can do.... because you are unarmed......you dipshit...... so unarmed people learn to keep their heads down and to hope they aren't next....which is why you never, ever give up your guns so you don't reach the point where goons of a political party have free reign to target people with violence.

 

[JoeB131]

And you lie, again....the socialists in Germany repealed gun laws for Party members....not for Jews and the political enemies of the party...

again, Germany only had 500,000 Jews out of a population of 80 million.

It wasn't that big of a deal.

The other 79,500,000 Germans who weren't Jews could have all the guns they wanted. and not a fucking one of them stepped out and tried to stop the Gestapo from taking Goldstein to the camps they all pretended not to know about after the war.

you know the ones the nazis sent to the gas chambers.... you guys always think you can lie about that....

Here's the problem... most of them were fine with getting rid of the Jews... They were happy to see them go.

When you have no guns, and government goons come for your neighbor, and your neighbor goes quietly because they can't resist..... there is nothing you can do....

Actually, that happens when you have guns, too. In fact, when the ATF came by for David Koresh or Randy Weaver, most of their neighbors were happy to see these nuts gotten out of their neighborhoods.

You see, the Government has tanks and bombers and artillery... no matter how much you compensate for your...er.. shortcomings, the government's will always, always, always be bigger.