June 26, 2007
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One of the major barriers to more efficient efforts to reduce gun violence in this country is the Tiahrt amendment approved in 2003 and up for reauthorization this year. It prohibits the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives from sharing data that traces guns from point of manufacture to commission of crime. The ATF once routinely provided such data to state and local officials but the amendment now prohibits the practice. The lack of information gives cover to gun traffickers. It also insulates gun manufacturers from the possibility of lawsuits arising from the use of their product in the commission of crime.

The ATF data, coupled with sophisticated information developed on the state and local level, could help determine which individuals and dealers are responsible for the bulk of illegal gun sales and to identify the cross-border routes the weapons take to the streets. Sharing trace data would help rid the streets of guns without abridging the rights of law-abiding gun owners, dealers and manufacturers. Yet the gun lobby, led by the NRA, doesn't see it that way.

Supporters of the amendment claim it protects undercover operatives and sensitive evidence. Nonsense. Law enforcement officials shared federal data without compromising on-going cases before passage of the Tiahrt amendment. They can do so again.

Congress soon will have a chance to repeal the Tiahrt amendment. It should do so with alacrity. Getting guns off the streets and saving lives is far more important than dancing to the tune of the self-serving gun lobby.