On National Walk Out Day, Congresswoman Lee Announces Reintroduction of Tiahrt Restrictions Repeal Act
Washington, D.C. – Today as thousands of students walk out of schools across the country to demand commonsense gun reform, Congresswoman Barbara Lee reintroduced the Tiahrt Restrictions Repeal Act, H.R. 5271. The Tiahrt Amendments are harmful that prevent the FBI from maintaining background check data, or keeping data on gun traces and gun inventories. These restrictions also prevent researches from accessing valuable data for studies to begin to make recommendations on how to address our nation’s gun epidemic.”
Specifically, the Tiahrt Restrictions Repeal Act would repeal current provisions that:
- Require National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) records to be destroyed within 24 hours.
- Prohibit ATF from requiring licensed dealers from conducting annual inventory checks to detect lost and stolen guns, and
- Restrict state and local authorities from using trace data to fully investigate corrupt gun dealers and traffickers
“Today, thousands of young people walked out of their schools to demand action from the adults who took an oath to pass laws that protect them. Sadly, Republicans in Congress continue to be puppets of the NRA, standing in the way of meaningful gun reforms that could bring an end to the public health crisis of gun violence in America,” Congresswoman Lee said.
"The idea that the experts can't even research gun violence because the gun lobby forbids it is despicable. At the very least we should be able to scientifically analyze the causes behind gun violence in America. But until we get the Tiahrt restrictions off the books, the NRA will have one more hedge of protection to justify their cruel and heartless agenda."
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