Gun Records Restoration and Preservation Act

To repeal certain impediments to the administration of the firearms laws. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Gun Records Restoration and Preservation Act 2. Findings The Congress finds as follows: (1) 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. (2) The Tiahrt Amendments prevent the collection of valuable information, and the establishment of effective policies to prevent illegal guns from being used in crimes. (3) 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. (4) A 2012 study by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that the Tiahrt Amendments dramatically increased gun sales to criminals. (5) 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. (6) A gun is stolen in the United States every 2 minutes. (7) Every year, nearly 115,000 Americans are shot. (8) In 2016, 38,658 Americans were killed with a gun. (9) In 2016, 289,223 firearms were recovered and traced in the United States, of which 211,384 were traced to a final retail purchaser. (10) Having effective policies to prevent illegal gun trafficking makes our families and communities safer. (11) 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. 3. Repeal of certain limitations on the use of database information of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (a) The matter under the heading Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and Expenses 18 U.S.C. 923 Public Law 112–55 (b) The 6th proviso under the heading Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and Expenses 18 U.S.C. 923 Public Law 111–117 beginning in fiscal year 2010 and thereafter in fiscal year 2010 (c) The 6th proviso under the heading Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and Expenses 18 U.S.C. 923 Public Law 111–8 beginning in fiscal year 2009 and thereafter in fiscal year 2009 (d) The 6th proviso under the heading Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and Expenses 18 U.S.C. 923 Public Law 110–161 beginning in fiscal year 2008 and thereafter in fiscal year 2008 (e) The 6th proviso under the heading Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and Expenses 18 U.S.C. 923 Public Law 109–108 with respect to any fiscal year (f) The 6th proviso under the heading in title I of division B of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005 ( 18 U.S.C. 923 Public Law 108–447 with respect to any fiscal year 4. Repeal of limitations on imposition of requirement that firearms dealers conduct physical check of firearms inventory (a) The 5th proviso under the heading Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and Expenses 18 U.S.C. 923 Public Law 113–6 and any fiscal year thereafter (b) The matter under the heading Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and Expenses 18 U.S.C. 923 Public Law 112–55 (c) The matter under the heading Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and Expenses 18 U.S.C. 923 Public Law 111–117 or any other Act (d) The matter under the heading Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and Expenses 18 U.S.C. 923 Public Law 111–8 or any other Act (e) The matter under the heading Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and Expenses 18 U.S.C. 923 Public Law 110–161 or any other Act (f) The matter under the heading Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and Expenses 18 U.S.C. 923 Public Law 109–108 or any other Act (g) The matter under the heading Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and Expenses 18 U.S.C. 923 Public Law 108–447 or any other Act (h) The matter under the heading Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and Expenses 18 U.S.C. 923 Public Law 108–199 or any other Act 5. Repeal of requirement to destroy instant criminal background check records within 24 hours Section 511 of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012 ( 18 U.S.C. 922 Public Law 112–55 (1) by striking for— (1) (2) by striking the semicolon and all that follows and inserting a period.

Summary: Gun Records Restoration and Preservation Act This bill amends several appropriations laws to remove limitations on the authority of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to conduct activities related to the administration of federal firearms laws. Specifically, the bill removes provisions that limit the use of firearms tracing data, prohibit the imposition of a requirement that firearms dealers conduct a physical inventory, and require national instant criminal background check records to be destroyed within 24 hours.