Florida commissioner: No mores lapse in background checks

Published 8:13 am Monday, June 11, 2018

SUN CITY CENTER, Fla.  — Florida’s agriculture commissioner promises his office will never again fail to do follow-up on certain national background checks that could disqualify people from gaining permits to carry concealed weapons.

Adam Putnam held a news conference on Saturday in Sun City Center, Florida, to defend himself against critics who say he should resign because of the lapse in checks. Putnam is a Republican candidate for governor.

The commissioner says “more seamless” communication between his agency and law enforcement, and “extra eyeballs,” are in place to make sure the incident never happens again.

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He says a department employee failed to make follow-up inquiries into 365 applicants who were flagged for noncriminal reasons during three background checks from February 2016 to March 2017.