I 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5271 

To repeal certain impediments to the administration of the firearms laws. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 14, 2018 

Ms. LEE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To repeal certain impediments to the administration of the 

firearms laws. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Tiahrt Restrictions Re5 peal Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 The Congress finds as follows: 

8 (1) The Tiahrt Amendments severely limit the 

9 authority of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Fire10 arms, and Explosives (ATF) to disclose crime gun 

11 trace data to the public. 


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1 (2) The Tiahrt Amendments prevent the collec2 tion of valuable information, and the establishment 

3 of effective policies to prevent illegal guns from 

4 being used in crimes. 

5 (3) The Tiahrt Amendments impede enforce6 ment of the gun laws by requiring most background 

7 check records to be destroyed within 24 hours, and 

8 by barring the Government from requiring annual 

9 inventory audits by owners of gun shops. 

10 (4) A 2012 study by researchers at Johns Hop11 kins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that 

12 the Tiahrt Amendments dramatically increased gun 

13 sales to criminals. 

14 (5) A 2016 study from the University of Pitts15 burgh Graduate School of Public Health found that 

16 in 2008, 79 percent of all guns recovered by police 

17 from crime scenes belonged to someone other than 

18 the perpetrator—30 percent had been stolen. 

19 (6) A gun is stolen in the United States every 

20 2 minutes. 

21 (7) Every year, nearly 115,000 Americans are 

22 shot. 

23 (8) In 2016, 38,658 Americans were killed with 

24 a gun. 


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1 (9) In 2016, 289,223 firearms were recovered 

2 and traced in the United States, of which 211,384 

3 were traced to a final retail purchaser. 

4 (10) Having effective policies to prevent illegal 

5 gun trafficking makes our families and communities 

6 safer. 

7 (11) Repealing the Tiahrt Amendments would 

8 support law enforcement efforts and give the public 

9 vital information needed to craft the most effective 

10 policies against illegal guns. 

11 SEC. 3. REPEAL OF CERTAIN LIMITATIONS ON THE USE OF 

12 DATABASE INFORMATION OF THE BUREAU 

13 OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, FIREARMS, AND EX14 PLOSIVES. 

15 (a) The matter under the heading ‘‘Bureau of Alco16 hol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and Ex17 penses’’ in title I of division B of the Consolidated and 

18 Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012 (18 U.S.C. 

19 923 note; Public Law 112–55; 125 Stat. 609–610) is 

20 amended by striking the 6th proviso. 

21 (b) The 6th proviso under the heading ‘‘Bureau of 

22 Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and 

23 Expenses’’ in title II of division B of the Consolidated Ap24 propriations Act, 2010 (18 U.S.C. 923 note; Public Law 

25 111–117; 123 Stat. 3128–3129) is amended by striking 


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1 ‘‘beginning in fiscal year 2010 and thereafter’’ and insert2 ing ‘‘in fiscal year 2010’’. 

3 (c) The 6th proviso under the heading ‘‘Bureau of 

4 Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and 

5 Expenses’’ in title II of division B of the Omnibus Appro6 priations Act, 2009 (18 U.S.C. 923 note; Public Law 111– 

7 8; 123 Stat. 574–576) is amended by striking ‘‘beginning 

8 in fiscal year 2009 and thereafter’’ and inserting ‘‘in fiscal 

9 year 2009’’. 

10 (d) The 6th proviso under the heading ‘‘Bureau of 

11 Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and 

12 Expenses’’ in title II of division B of the Consolidated Ap13 propriations Act, 2008 (18 U.S.C. 923 note; Public Law 

14 110–161; 121 Stat. 1903–1904) is amended by striking 

15 ‘‘beginning in fiscal year 2008 and thereafter’’ and insert16 ing ‘‘in fiscal year 2008’’. 

17 (e) The 6th proviso under the heading ‘‘Bureau of 

18 Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and 

19 Expenses’’ in title I of the Science, State, Justice, Com20 merce, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006 

21 (18 U.S.C. 923 note; Public Law 109–108; 119 Stat. 

22 2295–2296) is amended by striking ‘‘with respect to any 

23 fiscal year’’. 

24 (f) The 6th proviso under the heading in title I of 

25 division B of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005 


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1 (18 U.S.C. 923 note; Public Law 108–447; 118 Stat. 

2 2859–2860) is amended by striking ‘‘with respect to any 

3 fiscal year’’. 

4 SEC. 4. REPEAL OF LIMITATION ON IMPOSITION OF RE5 QUIREMENT THAT FIREARMS DEALERS TO 

6 CONDUCT PHYSICAL CHECK OF FIREARMS 

7 INVENTORY. 

8 The matter under the heading ‘‘Bureau of Alcohol, 

9 Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and Ex10 penses’’ in title I of division B of the Consolidated and 

11 Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012 (18 U.S.C. 

12 923 note; Public Law 112–55; 125 Stat. 609–610) is 

13 amended by striking the 7th proviso. 

14 SEC. 5. REPEAL OF REQUIREMENT TO DESTROY INSTANT 

15 CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK RECORDS 

16 WITHIN 24 HOURS. 

17 Section 511 of the Consolidated and Further Con18 tinuing Appropriations Act, 2012 (18 U.S.C. 922 note; 

19 Public Law 112–55; 125 Stat. 632) is amended— 

20 (1) by striking ‘‘for—’’ and all that follows 

21 through ‘‘(1)’’; and 

22 (2) by striking the semicolon and all that fol23 lows and inserting a period. 

Æ 


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