A 2017 law that requires Washington gun dealers to report when someone tries to buy a firearm and fails a background check has resulted in at least 10 arrests and two convictions so far, according to a report by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC).

Prior to the passage of the law, the public radio Northwest News Network and KING 5 News in Seattle found that police rarely, if ever, followed up on denied gun purchases — even though it's a crime to lie on the background check form.

While police are now investigating some of these failed purchases, arrests and prosecutions are still the exception, not the rule.

Prior to passage of the law, records showed approximately 4,000 people failed background checks to buy a gun each year in Washington. Sometimes, though, the background checks incorrectly flagged people who were legally entitled to purchase a firearm.

During the first year the law was in effect, Washington gun dealers reported 3,248 denied applications for the purchase or transfer of a firearm. WASPC, which administers the law, referred 669 of those reports to local law enforcement for possible follow up.