Three U.S. cities filed a federal lawsuit against the Defense Department that would require the federal judiciary to ensure the Pentagon reports to the FBI records of service members who cannot legally purchase or possess firearms.

New York City, Philadelphia, and San Francisco joined together to file the lawsuit in federal district court in Alexandria, Virginia, on Tuesday over what the cities said are “repeated failures” by the Defense Department to report to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System criminal histories and dishonorable discharge information.