Changes could be coming to the way backgrounds are checked when people apply for an Oklahoma firearms permit.
A bill by state Sen. Ron Sharp (R-Shawnee) would require the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation to use the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to run a background check on the applicant, including a criminal history records name search.
The bill also would limit the validity of a handgun license to five years before it would have to be renewed. Currently, applicants can choose whether to have the handgun license valid for five or 10 years.