This report provides an overview of the firearm check procedures in each of the states, summarizing the initial responses provided by 40 states and verbal discussions with the non-responding states; it is a prelude to ongoing data collection efforts that will focus on the number of applications received, the number rejected, the reason(s) for the rejection, and other processing information associated with each application to purchase a firearm. This is the first report to be published as part of the BJS Firearm Inquiry Statistics (FIST) project, which is part of the BJS National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP). The project is being conducted by the Regional Justice Information Service (REJIS) of St. Louis, Missouri. The purpose of the project is to develop statistics that describe the implementation of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (Brady Act). It is anticipated that data will be obtained from more than 500 state and local CLEOs (Chief Law Enforcement Officers, i.e., any agency designated as authorized to perform criminal record checks for handgun purchases under the Brady Act or, in the case of Brady Alternative States, under its own legislation). Data will be used for national projections.