Congressional anti-gunners and their special interest groups suffered a stunning and surprising defeat when the Senate Appropriations Committee voted 19-10 to retain protections of sensitive gun trace data in the Commerce, Justice and Science appropriations bill.
The surprise turnabout—observers had expected the Senate committee to strip away language known as the Tiahrt Amendment—brought cries of anguish from anti-gun New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and gun control organizations, including the Violence Policy Center and Brady Campaign. They had lobbied vigorously to repeal the Tiahrt language, named for Kansas Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R), which protects gun trace information compiled by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. ATF Acting Director Michael Sullivan supports the Tiahrt Amendment, as do the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the nation’s largest police organization, the Southern States Police Benevolent Association and the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The law enforcement appeals to protect that data had been ignored by Senate anti-gunners including Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ). Bloomberg had asked Mikulski to strip the Tiahrt language from the appropriations bill, but the full Senate committee voted instead to adopt an amendment by Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) that keeps trace data in the hands of law enforcement. Police can access that data for legitimate, on-going criminal investigations. Shelby’s amendment got strong bi-partisan support.
John Snyder, public affairs director for the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA), told Gun Week that the Shelby amendment actually strengthens the Tiahrt Amendment by requiring police to give a reason why they are requesting trace data.
“It would help prevent police departments under anti-gun mayors from requesting the information that could then be turned over to the mayors for use in civil lawsuits,” Snyder said. “However, the gun grabbers most likely will keep trying to strip out Tiahrt in future congressional maneuverings.”
Lawrence Keane, VP and general counsel for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, stated, “This is a great victory for law enforcement and a sound defeat for those seeking to misuse firearms tracing data….”
Chris Cox, executive director of the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action, called the vote “a step forward in the NRA’s on-going fight to preserve trace data information as a law enforcement tool and ensure it is not abused by politicians.”
Anti-gunners were livid. Bloomberg asserted that the vote “showed Congress at its most craven, buckling to pressure from the gun lobby to protect those who traffic in illegal guns…” He said the amended version of Tiahrt “is worse than anything we’ve ever seen—and it’s a slap in the face to the men and women who put on a uniform every day and risk their lives to protect us.”
As Gun Week went to press, the measure faced several hurdles. It was supposed to be considered by the House Appropriations Committee following the July 4 recess, and the full Senate still has to debate the issue.