Significance of the Tiahrt Amendment

[SharpDog]

What is the importance of the Tiahrt Amendment and what are the implications of its repeal ?

https://www.ammoland.com/2020/10/bidens-dangerous-gun-control-plans-repealing-tiahrt/

 

[wiscoaster]

Repeal of the Tiahrt Amendment has already been proposed in current legislation introduced in the Senate as S.3299 - The Tiahrt Restrictions Repeal Act, and the accompaning House Bill H.R.5917 - The Gun Records and Restoration Act.

If I'm allowed to quote myself:

Apparently the bill's sponsors regard the "Tiahrt Amendment" as an impedement to firearms law enforcement and want it repealed. The amendment they find offensive is code that "prohibits the National Tracing Center of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) from releasing information from its firearms trace database to anyone other than a law enforcement agency or prosecutor in connection with a criminal investigation. This precludes gun trace data from being used in academic research of gun use in crime. Additionally, the law blocks any data legally released from being admissible in civil lawsuits against gun sellers or manufacturers." (quoted from Wikipedia) I dunno, but that sounds like a pretty good idea to me, and I don't really see how enforcement of existing firearms law is being impeded. Maybe the sponsors are rather thinking of new firearms law they want to see enacted? H.R.5917 is the mirror House bill, although it has a different title and makes additional changes to existing laws.

(c) 2020 US Gun Bills, used with permission

Links to Congress pages for bills mentioned above:
https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/3299/
https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/5917

You can bet these bills will be reintroduced in the 117th Congress, and you can bet that if the Dems control both Congress and the Presidency they will be passed and become the law of the land.

 

[23tony]

To be sure I'm understanding correctly: the Tiarht Amendment prohibits the use of the "National Trace Database" for research or civil lawsuits? Basically, only LE can get the info?

 

[wiscoaster]

LE can already get the info when needed in connection with a criminal investigation.

Basically, the Tiahrt Amendment is an impediment to two left-wing gun control goals: 1) a national firearm registry and its uses; 2) enable civil liability damage suits against gun manufacturers for harm resulting from product misuse (they're already liable for product defect, but are protected against misuse).

It could be noted that the bills' sponsors give their stated purpose as: "to repeal certain impediments to the administration of the firearms laws", however, IMO, that's just a cover for paving the way for their real goals, above.