I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4223 
To repeal certain impediments to the administration of the firearms laws. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 27, 2025 
Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania 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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Gun Records Restora-
tion and Preservation Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds as follows: 
(1) The Tiahrt Amendments prevent the collec-
tion of valuable information, and the establishment 
of effective policies to prevent illegal guns from 
being used in crimes. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:50 Jul 12, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4223.IH
H4223
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
(2) The Tiahrt Amendments impede enforce-
ment of the gun laws by requiring most background 
check records to be destroyed within 24 hours, and 
by barring the Federal Government from requiring 
annual inventory audits by owners of gun shops. 
(3) A 2012 study by researchers at Johns Hop-
kins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that 
the Tiahrt Amendments dramatically increase gun 
trafficking to the criminal market. 
(4) A 2016 study from the University of Pitts-
burgh Graduate School of Public Health found that 
in 2008, 79 percent of all guns recovered by police 
from crime scenes belonged to someone other than 
the perpetrator—30 percent had been stolen. 
(5) A 2020 analysis from the RAND corpora-
tion concluded that the Tiahrt Amendments limit re-
searchers’ access to data that provide important in-
sights, such as— 
(A) how guns flow from States with less 
restrictive gun laws to States with more restric-
tive gun laws; 
(B) how prohibited purchasers obtain their 
firearms; 
(C) the characteristics of straw purchases; 
and 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:50 Jul 12, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4223.IH
H4223
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
(D) whether more restrictive gun laws cre-
ate a shortage of firearms for prohibited pur-
chases. 
(6) Every year, more than 165,000 people are 
shot in the United States. 
(7) 2020 was one of the deadliest years on 
record for the United States, with an estimated 
21,000 people killed in firearm homicides or non-sui-
cide related shootings, which is a 33-percent increase 
over 2019. 
(8) In 2020, 62 percent of firearm homicide 
victims were Black and 15 percent of firearm homi-
cide victims were Hispanic. 
(9) In 2020, the National Tracing Center at 
the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Ex-
plosives processed 490,800 trace requests on fire-
arms from Federal, State, and local law enforcement 
agencies. 
(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. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:50 Jul 12, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4223.IH
H4223
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
SEC. 3. REPEAL OF CERTAIN LIMITATIONS ON THE USE OF 
DATABASE INFORMATION OF THE BUREAU 
OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, FIREARMS AND EX-
PLOSIVES. 
(a) The matter under the heading ‘‘Bureau of Alco-
hol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and Ex-
penses’’ in title II of division B of the Consolidated and 
Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012 (18 U.S.C. 
923 note; Public Law 112–55; 125 Stat. 609–610) is 
amended by striking the sixth proviso. 
(b) The sixth proviso under the heading ‘‘Bureau of 
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and 
Expenses’’ in title II of division B of the Consolidated Ap-
propriations Act, 2010 (18 U.S.C. 923 note; Public Law 
111–117; 123 Stat. 3128–3129) is amended by striking 
‘‘beginning in fiscal year 2010 and thereafter’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘in fiscal year 2010’’. 
(c) The sixth proviso under the heading ‘‘Bureau of 
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and 
Expenses’’ in title II of division B of the Omnibus Appro-
priations Act, 2009 (18 U.S.C. 923 note; Public Law 111– 
8; 123 Stat. 574–576) is amended by striking ‘‘beginning 
in fiscal year 2009 and thereafter’’ and inserting ‘‘in fiscal 
year 2009’’. 
(d) The sixth proviso under the heading ‘‘Bureau of 
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:50 Jul 12, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4223.IH
H4223
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
Expenses’’ in title II of division B of the Consolidated Ap-
propriations 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 insert-
ing ‘‘in fiscal year 2008’’. 
(e) The sixth proviso under the heading ‘‘Bureau of 
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and 
Expenses’’ in title I of the Science, State, Justice, Com-
merce, 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’’. 
(f) The sixth proviso under the heading ‘‘Bureau of 
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and 
Expenses’’ in title I of division B of the Consolidated Ap-
propriations 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’’. 
SEC. 4. ELIMINATION OF PROHIBITION ON PROCESSING OF 
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUESTS 
ABOUT ARSON OR EXPLOSIVES INCIDENTS 
OR FIREARM TRACES. 
Section 644 of division J of the Consolidated Appro-
priations Resolution, 2003 (5 U.S.C. 552 note; Public 
Law 108–7; 117 Stat. 473) is repealed. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:50 Jul 12, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4223.IH
H4223
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
SEC. 5. REPEAL OF LIMITATIONS ON IMPOSITION OF RE-
QUIREMENT THAT FIREARMS DEALERS CON-
DUCT PHYSICAL CHECK OF FIREARMS IN-
VENTORY. 
The fifth proviso under the heading ‘‘Bureau of Alco-
hol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and Ex-
penses’’ in title II of division B of the Consolidated and 
Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (18 U.S.C. 
923 note; Public Law 113–6; 127 Stat. 248) is amended 
by striking ‘‘and any fiscal year thereafter’’. 
SEC. 6. ELIMINATION OF PROHIBITION ON CONSOLIDA-
TION OR CENTRALIZATION IN THE DEPART-
MENT OF JUSTICE OF FIREARMS ACQUISI-
TION 
AND 
DISPOSITION 
RECORDS 
MAIN-
TAINED BY FEDERAL FIREARMS LICENSEES. 
The matter under the heading ‘‘Bureau of Alcohol, 
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Salaries and Ex-
penses’’ in title II of division B of the Consolidated and 
Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012 (18 U.S.C. 
923 note; Public Law 112–55; 125 Stat. 609) is amend-
ed— 
(1) by striking the first proviso; and 
(2) in the second proviso, by striking ‘‘further’’. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:50 Jul 12, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4223.IH
H4223
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
SEC. 7. REPEAL OF REQUIREMENT TO DESTROY INSTANT 
CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK RECORDS 
WITHIN 24 HOURS. 
Section 511 of the Consolidated and Further Con-
tinuing Appropriations Act, 2012 (34 U.S.C. 40901 note; 
Public Law 112–55; 125 Stat. 632) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘—’’ and all that follows 
through ‘‘(1)’’; and 
(2) by striking the semicolon and all that fol-
lows and inserting a period. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:50 Jul 12, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H4223.IH
H4223
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB