The Brady Act changed firearm purchasing by adding a systematic federal background-check mechanism for transfers by federally licensed dealers.
The interim five-day waiting period began in 1994
ATF explains that the interim Brady provisions used a five-day waiting period in states without qualifying alternative background-check systems.
The permanent system was NICS
The law directed creation of a national instant background-check system. The interim provisions ended when NICS became operational on November 30, 1998.
Permanent Brady rules apply beyond handguns
ATF notes that while the interim waiting-period provision applied to handguns, the permanent background-check provisions apply to firearms transferred by FFLs, subject to legal exceptions.
Felony records became part of a transaction-screening system
NICS connected prohibited-person law with real-time purchase screening, making criminal-history accuracy and restoration records increasingly important.
Where this fits in the larger timeline
This event is part of the History of Gun Laws in America series. Federal firearm law developed incrementally through constitutional amendments, taxation and commerce statutes, criminal prohibitions, background-check legislation and modern Second Amendment decisions.