119-hr4223

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4223 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

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 Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Gun Records Restoration and 
Preservation Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

 Congress finds as follows:

    (1) The Tiahrt Amendments prevent the collection of 
 valuable information, and the establishment of effective 
 policies to prevent illegal guns from being used in crimes.

    (2) 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 Federal Government from 
 requiring annual inventory audits by owners of gun shops.

    (3) A 2012 study by researchers at Johns Hopkins 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 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.

    (5) A 2020 analysis from the RAND corporation concluded 
 that the Tiahrt Amendments limit researchers' access to data 
 that provide important insights, such as--
        (A) how guns flow from States with less restrictive 
 gun laws to States with more restrictive gun laws;
        (B) how prohibited purchasers obtain their 
 firearms;
            (C) the characteristics of straw purchases; and
            (D) whether more restrictive gun laws create a 
 shortage of firearms for prohibited purchases.

    (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-suicide 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 homicide victims were Hispanic.

    (9) In 2020, the National Tracing Center at the Bureau of 
 Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives processed 490,800 
 trace requests on firearms 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.

SEC. 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'' 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 Appropriations 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 inserting 
``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 Appropriations 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 Expenses'' in title II 
of division B of the Consolidated Appropriations 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 inserting 
``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, Commerce, 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 Appropriations 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 Appropriations 
Resolution, 2003 (5 U.S.C. 552 note; Public Law 108-7; 117 Stat. 473) 
is repealed.

SEC. 5. REPEAL OF LIMITATIONS ON IMPOSITION OF REQUIREMENT THAT 
 FIREARMS DEALERS CONDUCT PHYSICAL CHECK OF FIREARMS 
 INVENTORY.

 The fifth proviso under the heading ``Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, 
Firearms and Explosives--Salaries and Expenses'' 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 CONSOLIDATION OR CENTRALIZATION 
 IN THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE OF FIREARMS ACQUISITION AND 
 DISPOSITION RECORDS MAINTAINED BY FEDERAL FIREARMS 
 LICENSEES.

 The matter under the heading ``Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms 
and Explosives--Salaries and Expenses'' 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 amended--

    (1) by striking the first proviso; and

    (2) in the second proviso, by striking ``further''.

SEC. 7. REPEAL OF REQUIREMENT TO DESTROY INSTANT CRIMINAL BACKGROUND 
 CHECK RECORDS WITHIN 24 HOURS.

 

Section 511 of the Consolidated and Further Continuing 
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 follows and 
 inserting a period.
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