Findings

Congress finds the following: (1) A growing body of evidence demonstrates that firearm dealers’ sales practices affect the probability of firearms getting to criminals and that policies designed to hold firearm sellers accountable can curtail the diversion of firearms to criminals. (2) Federal laws governing firearm dealers— (A) have not been updated in more than 30 years; (B) contain safeguards that protect dealers who engage in illegal practices from adverse enforcement action; (C) frustrate law enforcement efforts to curb firearm trafficking and violence; and (D) are, thus, inadequate to meet the realities of the 21st century. (3) (A) The Tiahrt Amendments, for one— (i) severely limit the authority of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (commonly known as the ATF) to disclose crime firearm trace data to the public; (ii) prevent— (I) the collection of valuable information; and (II) the establishment of effective policies to prevent illegal firearms from being used in crimes; and (iii) impede enforcement of the firearm laws by— (I) requiring most background check records to be destroyed within 24 hours; and (II) barring the Government from requiring owners of firearm shops to conduct annual inventory audits. (B) Repealing the Tiahrt Amendments would support law enforcement efforts and give the public vital information needed to craft the most effective policies against illegal firearms. (4) Additionally, Federal law imposes no requirements that firearm dealers physically secure their highly valuable and lethal inventory. The number of firearm thefts from licensed firearm dealers has increased more than the number from any other source. Between 2013 and 2017, the number of firearms stolen in firearm-dealer burglaries more than doubled and the number of firearms stolen in firearm-dealer robberies tripled.