Source: https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/R44686.html
Timestamp: 2018-12-17 04:29:55
Document Index: 146351846

Matched Legal Cases: ['§210', '§215', '§216', '§215', '§213', '§216', '§516', '§520', '§517', '§517', '§516', '§517', '§517', '§518', '§517', '§518', '§533', '§531', '§530', '§531', '§1111', '§478', '§843', '§478']

Gun Control: FY2017 Appropriations for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Other Initiatives - EveryCRSReport.com
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is the lead federal agency charged with administering and enforcing federal laws related to firearms and explosives commerce. ATF is also responsible for investigating arson cases with a federal nexus, and criminal cases involving the diversion of alcohol and tobacco from legal channels of commerce. As an agency within the Department of Justice (DOJ), ATF is funded through an annual appropriation in the Departments of Commerce and Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations Act. For FY2017, Congress has appropriated $1.259 billion for ATF in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (P.L. 115-31), about $47.5 million less than the Obama Administration’s budget request and $18.6 million more than the FY2016 appropriation.
The Obama Administration’s FY2017 budget request included $1.306 billion for ATF. This amount was $66.1 million above the FY2016 appropriation. This proposed increase included $11.8 million in technical and base adjustments to anticipate inflation and other variable costs and $54.3 million in budget enhancements. As part of President Barack Obama’s gun safety initiative, these budget enhancements included
$9 million to integrate ATF’s case management systems into a single system.
The FY2017 budget request called for the repeal of two limitations that prevent ATF from (1) requiring FFLs to inventory their gun stocks prior to inspection and (2) changing an administrative definition of “curios and relics.” In P.L. 115-31, Congress maintained these and other firearms-related limitations/provisos (appropriations riders) described in an Appendix to this report. Two additional provisos appear to have been made permanent law by the inclusion of “words of futurity,” like “hereafter,” “henceforward,” and “this and any other fiscal year.”
In addition, President Obama’s gun safety initiative included
$55 million for grants to state, local, tribal, and territorial authorities under the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) and NICS Amendments Record Improvement Program (NARIP; P.L. 110-180); and
NICS was established in 1998 by the FBI to facilitate an electronic background check process to determine firearms eligibility of unlicensed, private persons seeking to acquire firearms from FFLs, or firearms permits and licenses from state authorities. Through both NCHIP and NARIP, the DOJ provides grants to states, tribes, and territories to improve NICS access to records on persons prohibited from acquiring firearms under federal or state law. According to the Explanatory Statement accompanying H.R. 244 (P.L. 115-31), Congress provided funding to support NICS fully, and $73 million for NICS improvement grants. However, Congress did not provide the funding requested for gun violence prevention research. In addition, Congress maintained a limitation in P.L. 115-31 that continues to prohibit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other agencies from using appropriated funding to advocate or promote gun control.
August 7, 2017 (R44686)
Selected Data Trends That Could Have Affected ATF Workloads
Downward Trend in Violent Firearms-Related Crime
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is the lead federal agency charged with administering and enforcing federal laws related to firearms and explosives commerce. ATF is also responsible for investigating arson cases with a federal nexus, and criminal cases involving the diversion of alcohol and tobacco from legal channels of commerce. As an agency within the Department of Justice (DOJ), ATF is funded through an annual appropriation in the Departments of Commerce and Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations Act. For FY2017, Congress has appropriated $1.259 billion for ATF in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (P.L. 115-31), about $47.5 million less than the Obama Administration's budget request and $18.6 million more than the FY2016 appropriation.
The Obama Administration's FY2017 budget request included $1.306 billion for ATF. This amount was $66.1 million above the FY2016 appropriation. This proposed increase included $11.8 million in technical and base adjustments to anticipate inflation and other variable costs and $54.3 million in budget enhancements. As part of President Barack Obama's gun safety initiative, these budget enhancements included
The FY2017 budget request called for the repeal of two limitations that prevent ATF from (1) requiring FFLs to inventory their gun stocks prior to inspection and (2) changing an administrative definition of "curios and relics." In P.L. 115-31, Congress maintained these and other firearms-related limitations/provisos (appropriations riders) described in an Appendix to this report. Two additional provisos appear to have been made permanent law by the inclusion of "words of futurity," like "hereafter," "henceforward," and "this and any other fiscal year."
This report provides coverage of congressional action on President Barack Obama's FY2017 budget request for his gun safety initiative. This coverage includes analysis of the ATF Congressional Budget Submission, Fiscal Year 2017, including discussion of selected data trends that could affect ATF workloads during FY2017. One of those data trends, for example, is the number and type of federally licensed gun dealers, manufacturers, and importers, whom ATF monitors periodically for compliance with federal and state law. Another data trend is the significant growth in newly manufactured and imported firearms introduced into the civilian gun stock annually. This data trend suggests that ATF and the FBI could see increased demands on their resources in FY2017. A third data trend is annual change in firearms-related violent crime: criminal homicides, armed robberies, and aggravated assaults. This report also includes a brief discussion of a controversial annual appropriations limitation that Congress has placed on CDC for 20 years that prohibits the use of appropriated funding to "advocate or promote gun control." The report concludes with an Appendix that describes 15 other gun control-related appropriations limitations that Congress has placed on the ATF, FBI, and the Department of State.
Final Actione
e. Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017, P.L. 115-31, May 5, 2017.
On April 21, 2016, the Senate Committee on Appropriations reported a bill (S. 2837; S.Rept. 114-239) that would have provided ATF with $1.259 billion for FY2017. This amount was $18.6 million above the FY2016 appropriation and $47.5 million below the request.
On June 7, 2016, the House Committee on Appropriations reported a bill (H.R. 5393) that would have provided ATF with $1.258 billion for FY2017. This amount was $17.8 million above the FY2016 appropriation and $48.3 million below the request.
Both the Senate and House bills would have provided the FBI with a $35 million increase to address firearms-related background checks. The Senate bill would have provided $75 million, and the House bill $73 million, to improved information sharing on persons prohibited from receiving or possessing firearms. As noted below, the Obama Administration requested $50 million for those purposes. Neither bill would have provided a requested $10 million for gun violence research.
On September 29, 2016, President Obama signed into law a Continuing Appropriations Act, 2017 (P.L. 114-203), which funded most of the federal government through December 9, 2016, at nearly the same levels as appropriated for FY2016. For those activities and projects funded under P.L. 114-203, the act provided an across-the-board decrease of 0.496% for the period October 1, 2016, through December 9, 2016.3
On December 10, 2016, President Obama signed into law a Further Continuing and Security Assistance Appropriations Act, 2017 (P.L. 114-254), which funded most of the federal government through April 28, 2017, at nearly the same levels as appropriated for FY2017. For those activities and projects funded under P.L. 114-154, the act provided an across-the-board decrease of 0.1901% for the period December 10, 2016, through April 28, 2017.4
In the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (P.L. 115-31), Congress appropriated $1.259 billion for ATF, about $47 million less than the Obama Administration's budget request. Like the FY2017 continuing resolutions described above, P.L. 115-31 extended the long-standing gun control limitations on ATF, CDC, HHS, and the Departments of Labor and Education discussed above through that date, as well as those described in the Appendix to this report.
In its Congressional Budget Submission, Fiscal Year 2017, the Obama Administration proposed an appropriation of $1.306 billion for ATF. If appropriated, this amount would have been $66.1 million above the FY2016 appropriation. This amount included $11.8 million and 73 full-time equivalents in technical and base adjustments to anticipate inflation and other variable costs. It also included $54.3 million, 155 full-time equivalents, and 230 permanent positions in budget enhancements. As part of President Barack Obama's gun safety initiative, these budget enhancements included
The FY2017 budget request also called for the repeal of two appropriations limitations that have prevented ATF from requiring federal firearms licensees (FFLs) to inventory their gun stocks prior to annual inspections and changing an administrative definition of "curios and relics."
In addition, the President Obama's gun safety initiative included
$35.0 million for the FBI to address an increase in firearms background checks through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System;
As shown in Table 2, for FY2016, ATF reported that it had allocated $1.033 billion (83.3%) of its $1.240 billion appropriation under its "law enforcement operations" budget decision unit. ATF proposed allocating a similar percentage (83.7%) for FY2017 for this budget decision unit. This means that 16.7% of ATF appropriated funding was to be allocated for its other budget decision unit, "investigative support services," which funds other mission-critical activities, including FFL qualification and compliance inspections, administrative actions, and firearms traces, as well as other firearms and explosives regulatory efforts.
Table 2 and Table 3 show that the anticipated FY2016 FTE level funded through appropriations was 5,028 and the requested FY2017 FTE level was 5,216, or a net increase of 188 FTEs. Table 2 and Table 3 also show the permanent positions associated with the funded FTE. For FY2017, 115 FTE were associated with the requested additional 230 permanent positions and $54.3 million for FY2017. The other requested 73 FTE and $11.8 million were for "technical and base adjustments." These amounts are not associated with any additional permanent positions; rather, they are being requested for a "staffing restoration." The "technical and base adjustments" added to the FY2016 enacted appropriation essentially represent the estimated level of resources that ATF projected it would need for the then-upcoming fiscal year (FY2017) to provide the same level of services that it anticipated providing during the then-current fiscal year (FY2016).
Table 4 shows ATF permanent positions by selected Office of Personnel Management (OPM) job series for FY2012-FY2016, for which Congress appropriated funding, and the Administration's FY2017 request. Special Agents (SAs, or criminal investigators—OPM job series 1811) are authorized to make arrests and carry firearms. SAs accounted for nearly half of the permanent positions under the FY2017 request.
Industry Operations Investigators (IOIs—OPM job series 1801), by comparison, are not authorized to make arrests or carry firearms. Instead, IOIs monitor federally licensed firearms and explosives dealers, manufacturers, and importers for their compliance with federal law. IOIs accounted for 17.9% of the permanent positions under the FY2016 request. Besides a FY2013 reduction, the level of funded positions for these two job series discussed above has not changed. According to ATF, the FY2013 reduction in permanent positions was due to sequestration and the three-year DOJ hiring freeze.6 The level of funded positions for Intelligence Analysts (OPM job series 132) and Attorneys (OPM job series 905) has also remained level, but those job series did not see an FY2013 reduction. Nor did "other" positions see an FY2013 reduction. The requested 230 additional positions for FY2017 included 80 Special Agents, 120 Industry Operations Investigators, and 30 "other" positions.
Under the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (P.L. 113-6), Congress included "words of futurity" ("in the current fiscal year and any fiscal year thereafter") that appear to be intended to make those provisos permanent law.9
In the Appendix to this report, there is a comprehensive list of gun control-related spending limitations that Congress has placed on ATF. Like the limitations described above, some, but not all, of these provisos no longer appear in the ATF salaries and expenses appropriations language. This is because Congress included words of futurity in these provisos in either FY2012 or FY2013, after gun control advocacy groups called for their elimination. These provisos were viewed by some as unduly constraining ATF efforts to monitor firearms-related commerce. Neither the Senate- nor House-reported FY2017 CJS Appropriation bills include language to alter or overturn these provisions. Congress did not accept the Obama Administration's request to repeal these limitations in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (P.L. 115-31).
Under the Gun Control Act of 196810 and the National Firearms Act of 1934,11 as amended, persons who wish to be "engaged in the business" of manufacturing, importing, or selling firearms must be licensed by ATF.12 Persons who are issued those licenses are known as "Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs)." As summarized by ATF in January 2016 guidance:
Consistent with this approach, federal law explicitly exempts persons "who make occasional sales, exchanges, or purchases of firearms for the enhancement of a personal collection or for a hobby, or who sells all or part of his personal collection of firearms."13
ATF has maintained that the agency cannot meet its goal of inspecting every FFL for compliance on a three-year cycle.14 The Obama Administration, moreover, maintained that the ATF had been hamstrung by limitations appended to appropriations legislation, listed in the Appendix to this report; an increase in the number of FFLs; and a surge in firearms-related commerce.15 For FY2014, for example, ATF reported that it could conduct only 10,000 FFL compliance inspections, a 24% decrease from the previous year, covering 7% of the FFL population.16 For FY2015, ATF reported that it completed approximately 8,700 FFL compliance inspections, a 13% decrease compared to the previous fiscal year, covering 6% of the FFL population.17
Figure 1 shows the number of FFLs by year for 1975 through 2015 in three broad categories:
It shows that the number of Type 1 and 2 FFLs, Dealers and Pawnbrokers, decreased precipitously, from about 258,607 in 1992 through the ensuing decade to 73,044 in 2001, a decrease of about 72%. This reduction was partly the result of higher licensing fees that Congress raised in the 1993 Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (Brady Act; P.L. 103-159).18
This reduction has also been attributed to ATF changes in licensing regulations, such as a requirement that applicants submit a photograph and fingerprints.19 Congress codified this regulation in 1994.20 The number of Type 1 and 2 FFLs continued to decrease, but not as steeply until 2009. Since then, those numbers have increased by 18.3%, from 54,184 in 2009 to 64,087 in 2015. On the other hand, Figure 1 also shows that the number of Type 3 FFLs, Collectors of Curios and Relics, have increased from 13,512 in 1997 to 64,449 in 2015, an increase of about 377%.
In 2013, the year following the December 2012 Newtown, CT, mass shooting, about 16 million firearms were introduced into the U.S. civilian gun stock, marking this year for the single highest net annual increase of firearms in the U.S. civilian gun stock since such data have been collected. As described below, in April 2013, December 2015, and June 2016, the Senate considered legislation to expand background checks for firearms. These increases in the civilian gun stock could be viewed as one possible measure for ATF's correspondingly increasing responsibilities to regulate and monitor the domestic firearms industry and commerce.
Source: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Firearms Commerce in the United States: Annual Statistical Update, 2015, pp. 1-6; and Commerce in Firearms in the United States, February 2000, pp. A-3 – A-5.
According to Small Arms Survey, there were between 290 and 314 million firearms in the United States held by civilians in 2010, or nearly one firearm for every person in the United States.21 The Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimated that there were an estimated 350 million firearms in the United States as of 2013.22 Another source estimated that the U.S. civilian gun stock was between 310 and 320 million firearms as of 2014.23 In addition, there were about 1 million firearms in police possession and 4 million firearms in military possession.24 According to polls, about 35% of households own a gun, and 25% of adults own a gun (60 million adults).25 About 37% of men and 12% of women own guns.26
In its Congressional Budget Submission, Fiscal Year 2017, ATF cited incidents of criminal homicide, robbery, and aggravated assault committed with a firearm in calendar year 2014.27 The data in Figure 3 show criminal homicide victim rates, as well as estimated victim rates for all firearm- and handgun-related homicides. Gleaned from the FBI-compiled Uniform Crime Reports (UCRs), the data show that from year-to-year, about two-thirds of all victims were killed with firearms, and one-half of all victims were killed with handguns. Criminal homicide victim rates, with or without firearms, were lower in 2014 than they were in 1968.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Uniform Crime Report (UCR) program.
Note: The FBI UCR program defines "criminal homicide" to include murder and nonnegligent manslaughter as the willful (nonnegligent) killing of one human being by another.
According to the FBI Uniform Crime Reports, about 40% of robberies, or two in five, are committed with firearms, and about 22% of aggravated assaults, or one in five, are committed with a firearm. Firearms-related robberies and aggravated assaults have also decreased since 1993. There were about 109 firearms-related robberies per 100,000 population in 1993 compared to 41 in 2014, and there were about 112 firearms-related aggravated assault per 100,000 population in 1993, compared to 52 in 2014.
As noted above, the number of federally licensed dealers and pawnbrokers (Type 1 and Type 2 FFLs) decreased substantially from 1992 to 2009. Since then, that number increased by 18.3%, to 64,087 in 2015. Nevertheless, there were fewer Type 1 and Type 2 FFLs than there were in 1992, when there were 258,607. Meanwhile, the number of firearms introduced into civilian gun stock grew appreciably to 8 million or more newly introduced firearms per year since 2009. These two phenomena together suggest that at least some federally licensed Type I firearms dealers were transferring substantially greater quantities of firearms at the retail level to unlicensed, private persons. ATF had traditionally allocated the lion's share of its resources toward its enforcement mission over its regulatory (administrative) mission. Moreover, the emphasis on enforcement over administration arguably might have increased after Congress transferred most of ATF from the Department of the Treasury to DOJ. If firearms-related violent crime should continue to decrease nationally, Congress could consider whether ATF should allocate a greater share of its resources toward its regulatory mission, particularly the monitoring of FFLs and explosives licensees and permittees.28
Under the NFA, as amended, the ATF regulates nonmilitary commerce in machine guns, short-barreled rifles and shotguns, silencers, a "catch-all" class of other "concealable" firearms identified as "any other weapon," and destructive devices. However, according to the American Suppressor Association, since 2011
17 states legalized suppressors [silencers] for hunting, bringing the total number of states allowing such activities to 39;
15 states passed "shall sign" or "shall certify" legislation that requires the presiding chief law enforcement officers in a community where an applicant lives to sign off on federal NFA applications for suppressors; and
3 states legalized suppressor ownership.29
Eight states prohibit civilian ownership of suppressors.30 These changes in state law governing suppressors have led to an increase in workload for ATF.31 The number of legally registered suppressors in the ATF National Firearms Registry and Transfer Record (NFRTR) system have increased from 285,087 in December 201032 to 762,282 in February 2015,33 an increase of 167.3%.
The Senate-reported FY2017 CJS appropriations bill (S. 2837) would have provided ATF with $1.259 billion for FY2017. This amount was $18.6 million above the ATF's FY2016 appropriation, but $47.5 million below the Obama Administration's request. However, this amount was $6.8 million above the ATF projected base budget. Senate report language (S.Rept. 114-239) expressed support for
The House Committee on Appropriations reported an FY2017 appropriations bill (H.R. 5393, H.Rept. 114-605). This bill would have provided ATF with $1.258 billion for FY2017. This amount was nearly $17.8 million above the ATF's FY2016 appropriation, but was $48.3 million below the Obama Administration's FY2016 request.
With regard to ballistic imaging, House report language expressed concern that federal law enforcement agencies had not consistently entered crime scene ballistic evidence into NIBIN, "despite evidence that doing so aids investigations and reduces gun violence." House report language also directed ATF to report back to the committee on its plans to upgrade NIBIN and establish revised protocols for information sharing through this computer network. With regard to the NCETR, report language urged ATF to continue its support of the Center's efforts to counter advanced improvised explosive devices. With regard to ATF's growing NFA workload, report language noted the committee's concern with longer processing times, and the committee recommendation included $6.0 million to address this workload.
The House-reported bill included no provisions to change ATF appropriations limitations related to dealer inventory-taking or the curios and relics definition. On the other hand, as in years past, the House-reported bill included words of futurity in other limitations that would have possibly made them permanent law. Those riders addressed "gun walking" across the U.S.-Mexico border, firearms parts exports to Canada, curios and relics imports, and importation restrictions on shotguns that have been characterized as nonsporting.
Several amendments were adopted in full committee markup. According to Congressional Quarterly, one amendment was defeated by a vote of 17-29.34 This amendment would have authorized the Attorney General to deny a firearms transfer to anyone considered to be a "dangerous terrorist."35
Following the June 12, 2016, Orlando, FL, mass shooting, Senator Christopher Murphy and other Democrats successfully advocated for the consideration of gun control legislation after holding the Senate floor for nearly 15 hours.36 When the Senate took up the FY2017 Departments of Commerce and Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations bill (H.R. 2578, the expected vehicle for S. 2837), several gun control-related amendments were debated.
Senator Murphy offered an amendment (S.Amdt. 4750) that would have expanded federal background check requirements to capture intrastate firearms transfers between unlicensed persons (nondealers).37 Supporters of the Murphy amendment maintain that it would have required "universal" background checks, although it too included exceptions.38 The Senate rejected further consideration of the Murphy amendment on procedural grounds.39 The Senate also rejected a procedural motion on an amendment offered by Senator Grassley (S.Amdt. 4751) that included some provisions that were identical to those included in the amendment he previously offered in December 2015 to the Health Care Reconciliation bill (H.R. 3762).40 Those provisions were intended to improve background checks, but did not include any provisions that would have expanded background check requirements.
In addition, the Senate considered several other amendments (S.Amdt. 4720, S.Amdt. 4749, S.Amdt. 4858, and S.Amdt. 4859) that would have authorized the denial of firearms and explosives transfers to any person whom the Attorney General deemed to be a "dangerous terrorist." While some of those amendments made reference to the "No Fly" list, all of these amendments were loosely modeled on the "Terror Gap" proposal, which was originally developed by DOJ under then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez.41 None of these amendments would have prohibited anyone from receiving or possessing a firearm simply because they were on the "No Fly" list, a claim mistakenly but repeatedly made by many mass media outlets. All but one of those "Terror Gap" amendments were blocked on procedural votes.
The Senate voted on a procedural motion on a modified "Terror Gap" proposal (S.Amdt. 4858) that has commonly been referred to as the "Collins compromise." The Senate, however, rejected this motion (46 to 52) to recommit H.R. 2578 to the Committee on the Judiciary with instructions to report the bill back with the language of the Collins compromise. And, the 52 votes against that motion were not enough to suggest that the Senate would be able to obtain the 60 votes likely required to amend the bill successfully.42 This motion was described as a "test vote."43
In November 1998, the FBI activated the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. Through this system, background checks are completed for all unlicensed persons seeking to obtain firearms from FFLs or firearms-related licenses and permits from state authorities. Intrastate transfers between unlicensed persons are not covered by the federal background check requirements. In recent years, the FBI has seen a significant increase in NICS transactions associated with firearms-related background checks by federal and state authorities. FBI-administered background checks through NICS increased from about 6.6 million in FY2011 to 8.5 million in FY2015.
For FY2017, the Obama Administration requested a $35 million increase for NICS. This amount included $15 million to sustain 75 professional support positions for FY2016, and $20 million to secure an additional 160 contractors. Report language accompanying both the Senate- and House-reported FY2017 CJS Appropriations bills (S. 2837 and H.R. 5393) indicated that those bills would have provided the requested $35 million for NICS. For FY2016, the FBI reports that the NICS program budget was anticipated to be $94.1 million. Hence a $35 million enhancement would bring the FY2017 NICS programs budget to $121.1 million.
Congress has appropriated funding to improve criminal history recordkeeping under a DOJ-administered grant program known as the National Criminal History Improvement Program. This program was originally authorized under the 1993 Brady Act (P.L. 103-159). After the April 2007 Virginia Tech mass shooting, Congress passed the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 (NIAA; P.L. 110-180). This act strengthens a provision of the Brady Act that requires federal agencies to make records on persons prohibited from possessing firearms available electronically to the FBI for the purposes of firearms-related background checks through NICS. It also includes provisions designed to encourage states to make such records available to the FBI. This act prioritizes federal–state record sharing on persons deemed too mentally incompetent to be trusted with firearms, as well as records on domestic violence misdemeanor convictions and restraining orders. The Obama Administration designated the grant program under P.L. 110-180 to be the NICS Amendments Improvement Act (NARIP).
The Senate bill (S. 2837) would have provided $75 million for these purposes, of which not less than $25 million would have been for grants for purposes addressed in P.L. 110-180.
The House bill (H.R. 5398) would have provided $73 million for these purposes, of which not less than $25 million would have been for grants for purposes addressed in P.L. 110-180.
For FY2017, the Obama Administration requested $10 million for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to sponsor research into preventing and ameliorating gun violence. Although the budget request uses the term "violence," CDC's stated intent was to use the funds "to address gaps in knowledge about firearm injury prevention," which were identified in a report prepared by the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council in 2013 following the Newtown, CT, mass shooting in December 2012.45 Based on this report, CDC stated that the research to be funded would have addressed questions related to "youth access to firearms, risk factors for firearm violence, and risks and benefits of firearms ownership, among other issues."46 The Obama Administration made similar requests for FY2014, FY2015, and FY2016, but Congress did not appropriate funding for these purposes.
For FY1997 and every fiscal year thereafter, Congress has attached a provision to Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education appropriations prohibiting the use of appropriated funds to "advocate or promote gun control." On June 14, 1996, during subcommittee markup of the FY1997 Labor, HHS, and Education appropriations bill (H.R. 3755), Representative Jay Dickey offered an amendment that would have redirected $2.6 million in funding away from a CDC program that had previously funded research on the risks of gun death and injury associated with gun ownership. Although the Dickey amendment was not approved, the subcommittee gave voice vote approval to an alternative amendment by the Committee Chair, Representative Robert Livingston. This amendment read, "Provided further, That none of the funds made available for injury prevention and control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may be used to advocate or promote gun control."
The bill contains a limitation to prohibit the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from engaging in any activities to advocate or promote gun control. The CDC may need to collect data on the incidence of gun related violence, but the Committee does not believe that it is the role of the CDC to advocate or promote policies to advance gun control initiatives, or to discourage responsible private gun ownership. The Committee expects research in this area to be objective and grants to be awarded through an impartial peer review process.47
At issue, in 1996, was CDC-sponsored research by Dr. Arthur L. Kellermann, who had his findings published in 1993 in the New England Journal of Medicine.48 In 1996, the House Committee on Appropriations heard testimony49 from several witnesses who either provided "scathing attacks" or "passionate defenses" of Dr. Kellermann's work.50
From FY1997 through FY2011, this appropriations limitation was embedded in CDC appropriations language and applied only to the Centers. For FY2012, Congress expanded the scope of the prohibition to all of HHS.51 In addition, for FY2012, Congress modified another limitation in previous years' bills that prohibited any department or agency funded under the bill from conducting "publicity or propaganda ... designed to support or defeat the enactment of legislation," so that it extended to "any proposed, pending, or future requirement or restriction on any legal consumer product, including its sale or marketing, including but not limited to the advocacy or promotion of gun control."
According to one news outlet editorial, at issue in 2011 were three National Institutes of Health (NIH)-sponsored research initiatives that examined links between alcohol availability and gun violence, alcohol use and firearms carrying among adolescent assault victims, and parental gun ownership as a hazard to children.52 Though these appropriations limitations for FY1997-2011 did not overtly prohibit research on gun violence,53 they were possibly a congressional response to research that was objectionable to at least some Members of Congress for advocating or promoting gun control with taxpayer-funded research.54 The House Appropriations Subcommittee Chair who oversaw the expansion of the Dickey amendment to include NIH and other HHS agencies for FY2012 argued that
In the aftermath of the December 2012 Newtown, CT, mass shooting, President Barack Obama released a plan, Now Is The Time, to reduce gun violence.57 In this plan, the President stated that "research on gun violence is not advocacy." As an executive action, the President issued a memorandum directing CDC and other agencies within HHS to
conduct or sponsor research into the causes of gun violence and the ways to prevent it. The Secretary shall begin by identifying the most pressing research questions with the greatest potential public health impact, and by assessing existing public health interventions being implemented across the Nation to prevent gun violence.58
For FY2017, the Senate and House Committees on Appropriations reported Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bills (S. 3040 and H.R. 5926) that would have continued the limitations described above, and neither bill would have provided the requested $10 million for gun violence prevention research. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (P.L. 115-31) included both limitations (Division H of the FY2017 Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations Act, §§210 and 503) and did not provide funding for gun violence prevention research.
Congress has placed nine provisos related to domestic gun control on Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) appropriations for salaries and expenses (S&E) and included another six provisos in either the Department of Justice (DOJ) general provisions or the general provisions for the entire Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) and Related Appropriations Act.59 Congress has included "words of futurity" (e.g., "in each fiscal year thereafter") in several of these provisos that appear to be intended to make them permanent law.60 One proviso—the "Tiahrt amendment"—has included words of futurity since FY2005, but was included in subsequent appropriations acts through FY2012. This proviso restricts ATF from using appropriations to release unfiltered firearms trace data, and prohibits the use of such data for the purposes of supporting civil lawsuits.61 Gun control advocates have argued that the Tiahrt amendment and other limitations on the ATF appropriations have unduly hampered that agency from enforcing the law, and consequently have called for their repeal.62 Supporters of gun rights, on the other hand, maintain that these limitations prevent ATF from overreaching its statutory and regulatory authority.63
For FY2012, Congress included words of futurity in four of those provisos that appear to be intended to make them permanent law. Those FY2012 provisos are
For FY2013, Congress included words of futurity in several additional provisos. Those FY2013 provisions are
As discussed in the text of this report and below, the Obama Administration requested for FY2014, FY2015, and FY2016 that two of those provisos be repealed. Those provisos are
For FY2013, FY2014, FY2015, and FY2016, the House CJS appropriations bills included words of futurity in two other provisions. While these provisos were included in the enacted appropriations laws, the words of futurity were not. Those provisos are
There are five other provisos for which Congress has not included words of futurity. Those provisos are
For FY1979 through FY2012, Congress included a proviso in the ATF S&E appropriations language in response to an administrative proposal made during the Carter Administration that would have required firearms manufacturers, importers, and dealers to submit quarterly reports on the sale and disposition of firearms.64 House and Senate report language expressed the view that this proposed regulation exceeded ATF's authority under the Gun Control Act of 1968 (H.R. 12930; H.Rept. 95-1259 and S.Rept. 95-939). In addition, a proviso was enacted that prohibits ATF from using appropriations for the purposes of creating what has often been characterized as a "registry of firearms or firearms owners."65 For FY2012, a word of futurity ("hereafter") was included in this proviso, which appears to be intended to make it permanent law. The proviso reads as follows:
Provided, That no funds appropriated herein or hereafter shall be available for salaries or administrative expenses in connection with consolidating or centralizing, within the Department of Justice, the records, or any portion thereof, of acquisition and disposition of firearms maintained by [F]ederal firearms licensees.66
For FY1996 through FY2013, Congress included a proviso in the ATF S&E appropriations language that prohibits ATF from using appropriated funding for the purposes of changing the definition of "curios or relics."67 This provision was in response to an ATF proposal to amend the definition of "curios or relics,"68 because of concerns about the volume of surplus military firearms that could be imported into the United States. ATF has consistently opposed the importation of certain World War II-era surplus military firearms. The language of this proviso is as follows:
Provided further, That no funds appropriated herein shall be used to pay administrative expenses or the compensation of any officer or employee of the United States to implement an amendment or amendments to 27 CFR 478.118 or to change the definition of "Curios or relics" in 27 CFR 478.11 or remove any item from ATF Publication 5300.11 as it existed on January 1, 1994.69
For FY2013, Congress included words of futurity ("the current fiscal year and any fiscal year thereafter") in this proviso, which appear to have made it permanent law.70 For each fiscal year thereafter, FY2014 through FY2017, the Obama Administration requested as part of its annual congressional budget submissions that this proviso be repealed. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (P.L. 114-113) included no provision to repeal or change this appropriations limitation. Neither the Senate nor the House FY2017 CJS appropriations bills (S. 2837 and H.R. 5393) included any provisions to repeal or change this appropriations limitation, nor does the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (P.L. 115-31).
For FY1993 and every year thereafter, Congress included a proviso in the ATF S&E appropriations language that prevents that agency from using appropriations to consider applications for disabilities relief (i.e., reinstatement of an applicant's right to gun ownership) from individuals who are otherwise ineligible to be transferred a firearm.71 In the 102nd Congress, House report language (H.R. 5488; H.Rept. 102-618) included the following justification: "the Committee believes that the $3.75 million and the 40 man-years annually spent investigating and acting upon these applications for relief would be better utilized by ATF in fighting violent crime." Senate and Conference report language were silent on this issue. The language of this proviso is as follows:
For FY1994 and every year thereafter, Congress added a related proviso explicitly stating that appropriated funds could be used to process disability relief applications for corporations.72
Provided further, That such funds shall be available to investigate and act upon applications filed by corporations for relief from Federal firearms disabilities under section 925(c) of title 18, United States Code.73
For FY1994 and every year thereafter, Congress included a proviso in the ATF S&E appropriations language that prevents the use of appropriations to dismantle that agency. That provision was a response to Vice President Al Gore's National Performance Review report released on September 7, 1993, which called for the transfer of ATF's law enforcement functions to the FBI.74 Under this recommendation, ATF's regulatory and revenue functions were to remain at the Department of the Treasury, but be transferred to the Internal Revenue Service. The language of this proviso is as follows:
Provided further, That no funds made available by this or any other Act may be used to transfer the functions, missions, or activities of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to other agencies or Departments.75
For FY2015, this proviso was included in the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (P.L. 113-235). For FY2016, identical language was included in the House-passed and Senate-reported versions of H.R. 2578.76 Similarly, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (P.L. 114-113) included this appropriations limitation. Both the Senate and House FY2017 CJS appropriations bills (S. 2837 and H.R. 5393) included identical provisions, as does the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (P.L. 115-31).
For FY2004 through FY2012, Congress included a proviso in the ATF S&E appropriations language that is known for the Member who originally offered the amendment, Representative Todd Tiahrt.77 For FY2003, Congress had previously included a related provision in the Treasury-Postal appropriations act, which was reportedly included in the bill at the request of Representative George R. Nethercutt.78 As shown below, the Nethercutt provision was drawn more narrowly than the Tiahrt proviso.
The Tiahrt amendment prohibits ATF from using appropriations to make unfiltered trace data available to any parties other than domestic and foreign law enforcement (with greater restrictions in the latter case) and national security agencies. The proviso exempts trace reports, which ATF has traditionally produced for statistical purposes and firearms trafficking trend analysis. Unlike other ATF appropriations provisions, this one has been substantively altered several times. The last substantive revision was for FY2010. Nevertheless, it has included some form of futurity language ("in each fiscal year thereafter") since its inception, most recently for FY2012.79 The language of this proviso is as follows:
except that this proviso shall not be construed to prevent: (A) the disclosure of statistical information concerning total production, importation, and exportation by each licensed importer (as defined in section 921(a)(9) of such title) and licensed manufacturer (as defined in section 921(a)(10) of such title); (B) the sharing or exchange of such information among and between Federal, State, local, or foreign law enforcement agencies, Federal, State, or local prosecutors, and Federal national security, intelligence, or counterterrorism officials; or (C) the publication of annual statistical reports on products regulated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, including total production, importation, and exportation by each licensed importer (as so defined) and licensed manufacturer (as so defined), or statistical aggregate data regarding firearms traffickers and trafficking channels, or firearms misuse, felons, and trafficking investigations.80
After FY2012, this proviso has not appeared in any subsequent ATF appropriations. It appears that the words of futurity discussed above were considered to make this proviso permanent law.81
Congress included a related provision in the FY2003 Treasury-Postal appropriations act. This provision arguably has prohibited, and possibly would continue to prohibit, ATF from using appropriated funding for the purposes of processing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for trace data.82 Report language stated the following:
Sec. 644. No funds appropriated under this Act or any other Act with respect to any fiscal year shall be available to take any action based upon any provision of 5 U.S.C. 552 with respect to records collected or maintained pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 846(b), 923(g)(3) or 923(g)(7), or provided by Federal, State, local, or foreign law enforcement agencies in connection with arson or explosives incidents or the tracing of a firearm, except that such records may continue to be disclosed to the extent and in the manner that records so collected, maintained, or obtained have been disclosed under 5 U.S.C. 552 prior to the date of the enactment of this Act.83
This provision was not included in subsequent appropriations laws. However, it too includes words of futurity ("with respect to any fiscal year"), which appear to be intended to make it permanent law. The scope of subsequent Tiahrt provisos also prohibited all FOIA disclosures of trace data.
For FY2004 through FY2013, Congress included a proviso in the ATF S&E appropriations language that prohibits the agency from using any appropriations to require federal firearms licensees to conduct inventories before an inspection.84 This provision was also part of the FY2004 Tiahrt amendment. The language of this proviso is as follows:
Provided further, That no funds made available by this or any other Act shall be expended to promulgate or implement any rule requiring a physical inventory of any business licensed under section 923 of title 18, United States Code.85
For FY2013, Congress included words of futurity ("for any fiscal year thereafter") in this provision, which appear to have been intended to make it permanent law.86 As part of its FY2014, FY2015, and FY2016 budget request, the Obama Administration requested that this proviso be repealed. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (P.L. 114-113) included no provision that would have changed this appropriations limitation. Neither the Senate nor the House FY2017 CJS Appropriations bills (S. 2837 and H.R. 5393) included any provisions to repeal or change this limitation, nor does the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (P.L. 115-31).
For FY1997 through FY2012, Congress included a proviso in the ATF S&E appropriations language that prohibits ATF from using appropriations to search computerized records of out-of-business FFLs.87 Such records—the bound logs of firearms acquisitions and dispositions and ATF Form 4473s—are digitized for storage purposes and kept in a microform format for evidentiary purposes.88 For FY2012, a word of futurity ("hereafter") was included in this proviso, which appears to be intended to make it permanent law (P.L. 112-55). The language of this provision is as follows:
Provided further, That, hereafter, no funds made available by this or any other Act may be used to electronically retrieve information gathered pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 923(g)(4) by name or any personal identification code.89
For FY2004 and through FY2013, Congress included a proviso in the ATF S&E appropriations language that prohibits ATF from using appropriations to deny or renew a dealer license for lack of business.90 This proviso was in response to ATF efforts during the Clinton Administration to reduce the number of individuals who arguably held federal firearms licenses simply for the sake of convenience, as opposed to the means to pursue their principal source of livelihood. Pro-gun control groups referred to such dealers as "kitchen table top dealers." It too was part of the FY2004 Tiahrt amendment. The language of this provision is as follows:
Provided further, That no funds authorized or made available under this or any other Act may be used to deny any application for a license under section 923 of title 18, United States Code, or renewal of such a license due to a lack of business activity, provided that the applicant is otherwise eligible to receive such a license, and is eligible to report business income or to claim an income tax deduction for business expenses under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.91
After 2013, this provision was not included in any subsequent appropriation, possibly because of words of futurity language ("for any fiscal year thereafter") in P.L. 113-6, which appear to have been intended to make it permanent law.92
For FY2012 through FY2015, Congress included a provision in the annual CJS appropriations acts that prohibits an investigative tactic known as "gun walking." As part of a flawed investigation known as "Operation Fast and Furious," the DOJ Office of the Inspector General found that ATF special agents did not act in a timely manner to arrest, or at least confront, suspected "straw purchasers"93 and interdict the firearms they had purchased in multiple transactions from federally licensed gun dealers, when the agents arguably had a reasonable suspicion or probable cause to believe that they, the straw purchasers, were trafficking firearms illegally to known associates of Mexican drug trafficking organizations. Senator John Cornyn sponsored an amendment to the FY2012 CJS appropriations act that included a related provision to prevent "gun walking." While the language of the Cornyn amendment was modified, the related FY2012 provision reads as follows:
For FY2015, Congress included this provision in the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (P.L. 113-235; §215). The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (P.L. 114-113) included this provision (§216). For FY2017, both the Senate and House Appropriations bills (S. 2837 and H.R. 5393) included this provision (§215 and §213, respectively). The House bill included words of futurity ("for fiscal year FY2017 and each fiscal year thereafter"). The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (P.L. 115-31) includes two similar, but slightly different versions of this provision (§§216 and 526). Neither provision includes futurity language, however.
For FY1999 through FY2012, Congress has included a provision in the annual CJS appropriations acts that prohibits the Department of Justice from using appropriations to levy a fee for firearms-related background checks under the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. This provision was crafted to counter a Clinton Administration proposal to levy a $5 fee for such checks. For FY2004 and every year thereafter, along with the fee prohibition, Congress has included a provision that requires the FBI to destroy background check records within 24 hours on persons who are eligible to receive firearms. This provision was originally part of the FY2004 Tiahrt amendment and was crafted in response to a 90-day audit log that was maintained by the FBI during the Clinton Administration for audit and other purposes. For FY2012, Congress inserted a word of futurity ("hereafter") in this provision. The language of this provision is as follows:
After FY2012, this provision was not included in any subsequent CJS appropriations, possibly because of the words of futurity in P.L. 112-55, which appear to have been intended to make this provision permanent law.
This proviso was first included in the FY2004 CJS appropriations bill as part of the FY2004 Tiahrt amendment.96 The language of this provision (originally number §516) is as follows:
For FY2013, Congress included words of futurity ("for FY2013 and thereafter") in this provision that appear to have been intended to make it permanent law.98
Congress first included this provision in the FY2006 Science, State, Justice, Commerce, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act to prohibit the use of funds provided under this act to require certain export licenses.99 This provision was a congressional response to new regulations promulgated during the Clinton Administration (1999) that were based on the Organization of American States (OAS) Model Regulations for the Control of the International Movement of Firearms. As a result of the export licensing provisions in these regulations, it arguably became cost prohibitive for a Canadian resident to acquire certain firearms parts from U.S. gun dealers. Hence, this provision (originally number §520) makes certain firearms parts exempt from some, but not all export licensing requirements. It reads as follows:
This provision was included in the Consolidated and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (P.L. 113-235, §517). For FY2013 through FY2016, the House Committee on Appropriations included words of futurity in its versions of that provision, but such language was not included in any of the enacted appropriations laws for those fiscal years. Section 517 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (P.L. 114-113) continued to prohibit the use of funds in that act to require export licenses for the purposes described above. For FY2017, both the Senate and House CJS Appropriations bills (S. 2837 and H.R. 5393) included this provision (§517 and §516, respectively). The House bill included words of futurity (in FY2017 and each fiscal year thereafter). The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (P.L. 115-31) includes this provision (§517) with words of futurity ("made available under this Act or any other Act") that appear to have been intended to make this provision permanent law.
This provision was included in the Consolidated and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (P.L. 113-235; §517). For FY2013 through FY2015, the House Committee on Appropriations included words of futurity in its version of that provision, but such language was not included in any of the enacted appropriations laws for those fiscal years. Section 518 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (P.L. 114-113) continued to prohibit the use of funds in that act to deny import applications for "curios or relics" firearms, parts, or ammunition. For FY2017, both the Senate and House CJS Appropriations bills (S. 2837 and H.R. 5393) included this provision (§518 and §517, respectively). The House provision included words of futurity (in fiscal year 2017 and each fiscal year thereafter). The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (P.L. 115-31) includes this provision (§518) with words of futurity ("under this Act or any other Act") that appear to have been intended to make this provision permanent law.
This provision was included in the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (P.L. 113-235; §533). For FY2013 through FY2015, the House Committee on Appropriations included words of futurity in its version of this provision, but such language was not included in any of the enacted appropriations laws for those fiscal years. Section 532 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (P.L. 114-113) continued to prohibit the use of funds provided in that act from being used to deny the importation of certain shotgun models on the basis that the shotgun was not particularly suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes For FY2017, both the Senate and House CJS Appropriations bills (S. 2837 and H.R. 2578) included this provision (§531 and §530, respectively). The House provision included words of futurity (for FY2017 and each fiscal year thereafter). The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (P.L. 115-31) includes this provision (§531), but it does not include words of futurity.
ATF was originally established as a separate bureau in the Department of the Treasury (Treasury) in 1972 by Treasury Department Order No. 120-1. As part of the Homeland Security Act, Congress transferred ATF's enforcement and regulatory functions for firearms and explosives to the Department of Justice from Treasury, adding "explosives" to ATF's title. See P.L. 107-296, 116 Stat. 2135, November 25, 2002, §1111 (effective January 24, 2003). The regulatory aspects of alcohol and tobacco commerce are the domain of the Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), which encompasses former components of ATF that remained at Treasury when other components of ATF described above were transferred to DOJ.
According to the Government Accountability Office, from 2003 to 2013, ATF data showed that firearms investigations accounted for 87% of all agency investigations; explosives and arson accounted for 11%; criminal organizations accounted for almost 1%, but have been tracked only since 2010; and alcohol and tobacco investigations accounted for less than half of 1%. Over that time period, ATF data showed the agency conducting 302,859 investigations. See U.S. Government Accountability Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives: Enhancing Data Collection Could Improve Management of Investigations, GAO-14-553, June 2014, p. 9.
Congress included this proviso in the ATF salaries and expenses appropriations language, for FY1996 and every year thereafter, through FY2013, in response to an ATF regulatory proposal to amend the definition of "curios or relics," because of concerns about the volume of surplus military firearms—particularly World War II-era firearms—that could be potentially imported into the United States. For the definition of "curios or relics," see 27 C.F.R. §478.11, which generally include firearms that are 50 years old, of museum interest, or derive a substantial amount of their value from the fact that they are novel, rare, bizarre, or because they are associated with some historical figure, period, or event. For a list of "curios and relics," see https://www.atf.gov/firearms/curios-relics.
Congress included this proviso in the ATF salaries and expenses appropriations language, for FY2004 and every year thereafter, through FY2013, which prohibits that agency from using any appropriated funding to require federally licensed gun dealers (otherwise referred to as federal firearms licensees, or FFLs) to conduct inventories prior to an ATF inspection. This provision was originally part of the FY2004 Tiahrt amendment, known for its sponsor in CJS appropriations subcommittee markup, Rep. Todd Tiahrt. The Tiahrt amendment included three other provisos that limit ATF's authority to release unexpurgated firearms trace data publicly, require that certain caveats about the limitations of trace data be appended to any such public data releases, and requires the FBI to destroy records on approved firearms-related background checks through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System within 24 hours.
Under 18 U.S.C. §843(b), as amended, Congress statutorily required ATF to inspect explosives licensees every three years. See P.L. 107-296; November 25, 2002; 116 Stat. 2135, 2281. According to ATF, there were 10,440 Federal Explosives Licensees (FELs) and Federal Explosives Permittees (FELs) in 2015; see https://www.atf.gov/resource-center/fact-sheet/fact-sheet-federal-firearms-and-explosives-licenses-types.
The Murphy amendment reflected the language of a bill previously introduced by Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Jackie Speier (S. 2934 and H.R. 3411).
The Murphy amendment (S.Amdt. 4750) represented an alternative proposal to two amendments (S.Amdt. 2908 and S.Amdt. 4716) previously offered by Sens. Joe Manchin and Pat Toomey that would have expanded federal background check requirements to capture intrastate firearms transfers between unlicensed persons under narrower circumstances. Supporters dubbed the Manchin-Toomey amendment as the "comprehensive" background check proposal, because the background check requirements described above would have been expanded to transfers between unlicensed persons arranged at a "gun show" or "pursuant to advertisement, posting, display or other listing on the Internet or other publication by the transferor of his intent to transfer, or the transferee of his intent to acquire, a firearm." In the House, Reps. Peter King and Mike Thompson introduced a nearly identical measure, the Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act of 2015 (H.R. 1217).
Sen. Frank Lautenberg and Rep. Peter King first introduced this DOJ proposal (S. 1237/H.R. 2074) in the 110th Congress. In the 114th Congress, Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Rep. King reintroduced this proposal (S. 551 and H.R. 1076). Sen. Lautenberg dubbed this bill the "Terror Gap" proposal. See Herb Jackson, "Lautenberg Bill Aims To Close 'Terror Gap," Record (Bergen County, NJ), April 28, 2007, p. A04.
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012, P.L. 112-74, December 23, 2011, 125 Stat. 786, 1085.
White House, "Engaging in Public Health Research on the Causes and Prevention of Gun Violence," presidential memorandum, January 16, 2013, https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/01/16/presidential-memorandum-engaging-public-health-research-causes-and-preve.
In January 2003, the ATF was transferred from the Department of the Treasury to the Department of Justice. Because ATF domestic gun control-related gun control provisions date back to 1978, they have been carried over the years in Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government (Treasury-Postal) Appropriations Acts; in a Science, State, Justice, Commerce, and Related Agencies Appropriations Acts; and in Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) and Related Agencies Appropriations Acts. For further information on how appropriations subcommittee jurisdictions have changed over this period, see CRS Report RL31572, Appropriations Subcommittee Structure: History of Changes from 1920 to 2017, by [author name scrubbed].
See 27 C.F.R. §478.11 for the definition of "curios or relics," which generally include firearms that are 50 years old, of museum interest, or derive a substantial amount of their value from the fact that they are novel, rare, bizarre, or because they are associated with some historical figure, period, or event. For a list of "curios and relics," see http://www.atf.gov/publications/firearms/curios-relics/. Federally licensed firearms collectors are authorized to engage in limited interstate transfers of "curios and relics," whereas in nearly all cases an unlicensed person must engage the services of a federally licensed gun dealer to facilitate interstate firearms transfers to another unlicensed person.
In the 113th and 114th Congresses, Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. introduced legislation to abolish ATF and transfer its firearms, explosives, and arson enforcement and regulatory missions to the FBI, and its alcohol and tobacco regulatory and enforcement missions to the Drug Enforcement Administration. See H.R. 5522 and H.R. 1329, respectively.