I hadn't heard anything about this before reading the article in today's Times-Dispatch, but evidently layoffs at the State Police have slowed down background checks on firearms purchases. Checks that formerly took just a few minutes now can take much longer, up to several hours.

The Times-Dispatch article says:

Technicians now run the purchaser's information through 13 different databases. If one of the databases hits on a name, the application is automatically given what is called a "pending status" for the technician to do further research. That is where the delays are piling up.

It seems unlikely to me that the initial process is manual. For most purchasers, those 13 databases could be checked by an automated process requiring no human intervention. Only a small percentage of gun buys should require a human being to check the results. If I had to hazard a guess, it would be that the Virginia State Police is deliberately slowing down processing to draw attention to its budget shortfalls.

The VCDL is noisy and influential. A minor irritation to it could yield substantial money, so it's worth trying, right? This issue is probably nothing but bullshit.

[Background checks for gun buys taking longer - Richmond Times-Dispatch]