Democrats in Congress this week announced legislation to pave the way for a centralized database of gun owners curated by the government.
Known as the “Gun Records Restoration and Preservation Act,” the bill would remove existing laws that prevent federal agencies from accessing and compiling gun sales records.
Specifically, the legislation would repeal:
- The prohibition on the ATF from releasing firearm tracing data for use by cities, states, researchers, litigants, and members of the public;
- The prohibition on consolidating or centralizing records that gun dealers are required to maintain;
- The requirement that the FBI destroy all approved gun purchaser records within 24 hours;
- The prohibition on the ATF from requiring gun dealers to submit their inventories to law enforcement to enforce the federal law requiring dealers to report the loss or theft of firearms.
“For too long, the NRA has had an iron grip on Congressional Republicans – actively working to keep critical information such as gun records and tracing data out of the public domain, making it that much harder for law enforcement agencies to solve gun crimes, disrupt gun trafficking schemes, and keep our communities safe,” said Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), one of the sponsor’s of the act.
SEE ALSO: How the FBI Worked with Other Federal Agencies to Strip Citizens of 2A Rights
“In fact, my GOP colleagues have for years inserted the so-called ‘Tiahrt Amendments’ in routine spending bills to ensure that gun records and tracing data never see the light of day, and in many cases require the data to be completely destroyed,” he continued.
“It is time we repeal these provisions and give our law enforcement access to critical information that can help make our communities safer from the scourge of gun violence,” Menendez concluded.
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), who championed the bill in the House, said, “It’s long past time to remove the Tiahrt restrictions so the FBI and ATF can collect and maintain the data needed to investigate and prevent gun violence.”
The Gun Records Restoration and Preservation Act is also backed by the following politicians:
Senators
- Ed Markey (D-Mass.),
- Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.),
- Jack Reed (D-R.I.),
- Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.),
- Cory Booker (D-N.J.),
- Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.),
- Dick Durbin (D-Ill),
- Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.),
- Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.),
- Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii),
- Chris Murphy (D-Conn.),
- Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.).
Representatives
- Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.-01),
- Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.-05),
- Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.-04),
- Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.-18),
- Sean Casten (D-Ill.-06),
- Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.-25),
- Jason Crow (D-Colo.-06),
- Dina Titus (D-Nev.-01),
- Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.-At-Large),
- Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.37),
- Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.-26),
- Adam Smith (D-Wash.-09),
- Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.-10),
- Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.-09),
- Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.-44),
- Bill Keating (D-Mass.-09),
- Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.-05),
- Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.-12),
- Robin Kelly (D-Ill.02),
- Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.-07),
- Andre Carson (D-Ind.-07),
- Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.-03),
- Maxwell Frost (D-FL.-10)
GunsAmerica reached out to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the firearms industry trade association, for comment.
“This legislation by Senator Menendez and Congresswoman Lee would risk the lives, safety and integrity of law enforcement and their investigations. That is exactly why the Tiahrt Amendment prevents the release of incomplete tracing data,” said Mark Oliva, NSSF’s managing director of public affairs in an email.
“This legislation has been introduced before and wasn’t moved even when Democrats had control of both chambers of Congress. The reason is that it is a dangerous ploy to bend to the demands of gun control activists that could endanger law enforcement safety,” explained Oliva.
“Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, in his own gun control stunt, was excoriated for exposing gun trace data that caused ongoing investigations to be prematurely closed and undercover agents to be withdrawn when their identities were at risk,” he said.
“This protection of trace data is supported by Congress, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and law enforcement groups such as the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) because it secures sensitive tracing information which would jeopardize ongoing criminal investigations and put the lives of law enforcement officers, cooperating retailers and witnesses at risk,” Oliva concluded.
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This is the very first step before confiscation! SCREW ALL OF YOU LIBERAL BASTARDS! That 2nd amendment is there for a reason! If you don’t like it? Go live in China or Russia! I’m sure all of you would be so much more comfy!
Menendez, like his fellow POS Progressive-Socialists, is a lying, anti-2A. fool. The ATF can visit a gun shop and request to see their Bound Book, which contains all their firearm transactions. So, can’t trace a weapon used in a crime, Bob? LIAR!!
What would keep our communities safer, idiot, is not defunding the police, but hiring More police and getting rid of the “woke” Soros-prosecutors that refuse to bring criminals to justice.
Never mind that it would be a DIRECT violation of the Firearms Owners Protection Act of 1986. When has that ever stopped a bunch of commie gun haters? BTW, I sure miss Doc Dabbs……
One look at the Senate and House sponsors for this idiotic bill reveals it’s all “the usual suspects.”
If the GOP had any balls, they’d put forth a bill to have the U.S. Marshals arrest anyone voting to reelect those on that list. Hey, MTG, are you listening?
Since almost all americans have at least 1 gun in their household why waste time on this?????
A better effort would be getting rid of the bad people with guns!
These are several common-sense solutions to give the proper tools to law enforcement to fight against gun violence. Why needlessly tie the hands of law enforcement when dealing with this epidemic?
On the other hand, if this legislation fails to gather support from even a few Republicans, it won’t pass the House and is likely that it wouldn’t even see a vote since the Speaker is a gutless Republican with a very fragile hold on the seat he so covets. This sort of breathless sensationalism on the part of this blog over a bill that is doomed to fail is a bit disingenuous.
Just another way for the commicrats to control and keep track of honest citizensinstead of controlling the CRIMINALS. as far as being “doomed to fail”. Great but this B.S. still needs to be brought to light every time it’s tried. Notice all the supporters of the proposed bill are all from failed commiecrat areas
Damn, you are a glutton for punishment.
The listed legislation will have no effect on gun crime incidents.
First point: The prohibition on the ATF from releasing firearm tracing data for use by cities, states, researchers, litigants, and members of the public;
As a “member of the public” I can now find which homes have guns and break in to steal them and sell them on the black market.
Second point: The prohibition on consolidating or centralizing records that gun dealers are required to maintain;
When a firearms dealer goes out of business he is required to send in all the Form 4473s in his possession. In effect there is already a centralized records system, it is just on paper.
Third point: The requirement that the FBI destroy all approved gun purchaser records within 24 hours;
This is meaningless due to the unintended consequences of the first point, along with the secondary market in selling firearms as personal property or giving them as gifts. This is merely virtue signalling on the part of the legislation.
Fourth point:The prohibition on the ATF from requiring gun dealers to submit their inventories to law enforcement to enforce the federal law requiring dealers to report the loss or theft of firearms.
Dealers already have to file reports on stolen and missing firearm inventory items. Again, this is a pointless item.
If you really want to live in a nanny state, why don;’t you move to another country where you will be happy?
Your stupid troll-ass still here, Blue Slime?
“Why needlessly tie the hands of law enforcement when dealing with this epidemic?”
Oh, you mean like defunding the police, placing impossible restrictions on them, and keeping Soros-backed prosecutors who refuse to prosecute criminals? And it’s not an “epidemic,” it’s an expansion of criminal activity supported in urban areas run by your fellow Progressive-Socialists.
Why don’t you just shut-up and go away?!
Someday someone will explain how tracing data is the least bit useful, when it is a known fact that the vast majority of murder firearms are either first owner of passed through so many hands after a theft or sale that tracing is essentially impossible. The ATF-has NEVER published data showing the number of successful searches it has performed (compared to the total number performed), where successful means traced to the actual shooter.
That’s because it is a dismal failure. However, the first bullet in the list include the word “litigants”, which means they want to make suing the dealer and the manufacturer easier. If memory serves me, they will have to change another law to make that happen.