New Mexico's effort to provide mental-health records for a federal database used in background checks for gun buyers had been lacking until about 18 months ago.
New Mexico is one of three dozen states that rely on the FBI to conduct background checks to help keep firearms out of potentially dangerous hands.
The background check system created decades ago relies on data compiled with spotty help from states.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports (http://bit.ly/110TP0Y) reported that the Government Accountability Office last summer evaluated whether records were being provided as part of a 2007 push to increase states' participation in the database.