Reading Room Document

Application of the Brady Act's Criminal Penalties to State or Local Law Enforcement Officers

The criminal penalties contained in the Brady Handgun Violence Protection Act do not apply to state or local law enforcement officers in the performance of their duties under the Brady Act. Accordingly, the United States lacks the authority to prosecute state or local officials for violations of the Brady Act. The OLC does not provide release dates for its opinions, so the release date listed is the date on which the opinion was authored. The original opinion is available at www.justice.gov/file/20381/download.

March 16, 1994