Congress moves to let feds keep gun buyer records longer than 24 hours

What it does

This bill repeals the Tiahrt Amendments, a series of restrictions enacted between 2005 and 2013 that prevent federal law enforcement from collecting and retaining detailed firearms data. Specifically, it would allow the ATF to keep background check records longer than 24 hours, conduct inventory audits of gun dealers, consolidate firearms acquisition records, and process Freedom of Information Act requests about gun traces. The stated goal is to give law enforcement and researchers better data to track illegal gun trafficking and inform gun violence prevention policy.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core function is to repeal legislative restrictions on ATF data collection and retention, enabling law enforcement to better track illegal firearms. It is fundamentally a law-enforcement transparency and investigative-capacity measure, not a gun-ownership restriction.

What the text implies

• Repealing the 24-hour background check record destruction requirement means the ATF will retain identifying information on all gun purchasers who pass background checks, creating a de facto national gun registry over time—a politically sensitive outcome not explicitly stated in the bill's language.
• Allowing consolidation of firearms acquisition and disposition records (Section 6) enables the ATF to build comprehensive dealer-level databases linking specific firearms to purchasers, which gun-rights advocates have historically opposed as a precursor to confiscation.
• The bill does not specify retention periods, audit frequency, or data-sharing protocols, leaving implementation details to ATF discretion—potentially allowing expansive data collection beyond what the legislative text explicitly authorizes.
• Repealing FOIA restrictions (Section 4) means gun-trace data and arson/explosives incident information become subject to public records requests, potentially exposing sensitive law enforcement investigative methods and ongoing cases.

Who it affects

Ordinary citizens stand to benefit from improved law enforcement capacity to track illegal gun trafficking and from public access to data that could inform evidence-based gun violence prevention policies. The bill removes restrictions that currently prevent law enforcement from retaining basic investigative information, potentially making communities safer by enabling more effective enforcement against illegal gun markets.

Named in the bill

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Department of Justice, Federal firearms licensees (gun dealers), National Tracing Center, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, RAND Corporation

Where it stands

12 cosponsors: 12 Democrats.

• Jun 11, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
• Jun 11, 2026 — Referred to Senate Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.