Tiahrt Restrictions Repeal Act

The Tiahrt Amendments severely limit the authority of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to disclose crime gun trace data to the public.

The Tiahrt Amendments prevent the collection of valuable information, and the establishment of effective policies to prevent illegal guns from being used in crimes.

The Tiahrt Amendments impede enforcement of the gun laws by requiring most background check records to be destroyed within 24 hours, and by barring the Government from requiring annual inventory audits by owners of gun shops.

A 2012 study by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that the Tiahrt Amendments dramatically increased gun sales to criminals.

A 2016 study from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health found that in 2008, 79 percent of all guns recovered by police from crime scenes belonged to someone other than the perpetrator—30 percent had been stolen.

A gun is stolen in the United States every 2 minutes.

Every year, nearly 115,000 Americans are shot.

In 2016, 38,658 Americans were killed with a gun.

In 2016, 289,223 firearms were recovered and traced in the United States, of which 211,384 were traced to a final retail purchaser.

Having effective policies to prevent illegal gun trafficking makes our families and communities safer.

Repealing the Tiahrt Amendments would support law enforcement efforts and give the public vital information needed to craft the most effective policies against illegal guns.

The matter under the heading “Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and Expenses” in title I of division B of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012 (18 U.S.C. 923 note; Public Law 112–55; 125 Stat. 609–610) is amended by striking the 6th proviso.

The 6th proviso under the heading “Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and Expenses” in title II of division B of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010 (18 U.S.C. 923 note; Public Law 111–117; 123 Stat. 3128–3129) is amended by striking “beginning in fiscal year 2010 and thereafter” and inserting “in fiscal year 2010”.

The 6th proviso under the heading “Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and Expenses” in title II of division B of the Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009 (18 U.S.C. 923 note; Public Law 111–8; 123 Stat. 574–576) is amended by striking “beginning in fiscal year 2009 and thereafter” and inserting “in fiscal year 2009”.

The 6th proviso under the heading “Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and Expenses” in title II of division B of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 (18 U.S.C. 923 note; Public Law 110–161; 121 Stat. 1903–1904) is amended by striking “beginning in fiscal year 2008 and thereafter” and inserting “in fiscal year 2008”.

The 6th proviso under the heading “Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and Expenses” in title I of the Science, State, Justice, Commerce, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006 (18 U.S.C. 923 note; Public Law 109–108; 119 Stat. 2295–2296) is amended by striking “with respect to any fiscal year”.

The 6th proviso under the heading in title I of division B of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005 (18 U.S.C. 923 note; Public Law 108–447; 118 Stat. 2859–2860) is amended by striking “with respect to any fiscal year”.

by striking “for—” and all that follows through “(1)”; and

by striking the semicolon and all that follows and inserting a period.