Some Alabama sheriffs have been issuing concealed carry permits to people without full background checks or even when the National Instant Criminal Background Check System denied the application, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced this week.

As a result, federally-licensed gun shops across Alabama can no longer accept a concealed carry permit as proof that a criminal background check has been done on a buyer.

Federal officials did not name the sheriffs who issued the permits.

As a result of the practice, authorities said, guns have been transferred to convicted felons and other prohibited buyers in violation of federal law, thereby creating “a substantial public safety concern.” They have not said how many guns may have been transferred to prohibited buyers.

The Brady Act, which took effect in November 1998, requires federal firearms licensees to conduct the NICS background check before selling a gun to an unlicensed person. The Brady Act, however, has exceptions to the NIC check requirement, including an exception for holders of certain state permits to possess, carry or acquire firearms.

In 2016, ATF informed all Alabama federal firearms licensees that under Alabama law, the states concealed carry permits issued on or after Aug. 1, 2013 qualified as an alternative to a NICS. ATF’s determination, authorities said, was based on the understanding that full NICS check would be conducted by the government agencies issued the concealed carry permits and that if the background check showed the person was prohibited form possession a firearm under federal or state law, the applicant would be denied a permit.

“Based on recent information received from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Criminal Justice Information Services Division Audit Unit, and upon results of inspections conducted by ATF field offices, ATF has determined that...CCP permits have been, and continue to be, issued to individuals without completion of a NICS check, or after a NICS denial,’’ according to the DOJ press release. “At least some of these permits were issued to felons and other federally prohibited persons who used them purchase firearms from Alabama FFLs without a NICS check.”

Additionally, ATF officials said, the determined that some Alabama counties – again they have not released the names of those counties – have not been requiring non-U.S. citizen concealed carry permit applicants to submit the necessary information for authorities to conduct an Immigration Alien Query.

The audit, authorities said, was done in 2018 and all Alabama gun shops have been notified of the change. “The concealed carry permit is still needed but is no longer accepted as a background check,’’ said ATF spokesman Michael Knight. “That’s the way it used to be and the way it is in most states.”

He said the threshold used by sheriff’s offices is different and not as extensive as the checks done by federal firearms licensees.

“The gun shops took the concealed carry permit (as proof of a background check) in a good faith,’’ Knight said. “In reality, the gun shops always had the option to run their own anyway.”

Knight said they don’t know the full extent of the lapse because “We don’t know how many guns out there that have not been recovered yet.”

Jefferson County sheriff’s spokesman Capt. David Agee said they do a complete background check on all permit applicants. "Our process is complete,'' he said.

ATF officials, as well as Shane Thomas, general manager at Birmingham Pistol Wholesale, say the only change the buyers will see is perhaps a longer wait. “They may have to wait up to five days,’’ Thomas said. “There will be people who don’t understand but we’ll obey (the mandate) and move on.”

He said for the most part, using the concealed carry permit as a background check alternative was working but said the new mandate, “takes the guess work out of it.”

“It really doesn’t matter what we think,’’ Thomas said. “We’re going to do what we’re told to do.”