Americans Must Call Obama to Protest Tiahrt Amendments
As we previously wrote, President Obama broke his campaign pledge to
the American people last week when he refused to strip all of the dangerous
Tiahrt restrictions out of his FY 2010 budget. The Tiahrt Amendments prohibit
the public release of gun crime trace data from ATF, a vital measure to help
stop illegal gun trafficking into urban areas and weapons flowing into
Mexico.
The President promised an era of transparency and open government, but
instead has caved under the gun lobby’s radical agenda and influence. The result
is that more American communities will continue to suffer from the horrific toll
of gun violence.
Please call the White House today to express your disappointment in the Obama
administration for failing to remove Tiahrt restrictions to stop illegal gun
trafficking and for withholding vital crime data from the public.
White House Comment Line: 202-456-1111
Specifically request that President Obama:
* Prevent the destruction of Brady background check
records.
According to ProtectPolice.org, the “Tiahrt Amendments
require the Justice Department to destroy the record of a buyer whose NICS
background check was approved within 24 hours.
This makes it harder to catch law-breaking gun dealers who falsify their
records, and it makes it more difficult to identify and track straw purchasers
who buy guns on behalf of criminals.
* Lift the ban on public disclosure of gun crime trace data so that
mayors, researchers and advocates have access to this vital
information.
Although President Obama’s budget lifted restrictions on police chiefs and
now permits law enforcement officials to access ATF’s trace data and reports,
the President went out of his way to include additional language that “no person
described herein shall knowingly and publicly disclose such data.”
In effect, the President’s budget prohibits this important data from being
made accessible to mayors, civic leaders, researchers, gun violence prevention
advocates and the American people.
* Require gun dealers to fully inventory and account for their
firearms.
Also, while federally licensed gun dealers must notify ATF if they discover
that guns from their inventories have been lost or stolen, the Tiahrt Amendments
prevent ATF from requiring gun dealers to conduct annual physical inventory
checks to detect losses and thefts.
The President’s easy acceptance of the gun lobby’s radical agenda, and his
failure to stand up for the safety of our country challenges our hope that
President Obama will be the change we can believe in’ with respect to reducing
gun violence in our country.
Thank you for taking action today to help reduce and prevent gun violence in
America.
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I have to say, this version is more organized. And, while I admit my comments about that first article were a bit intemperate, I am surprised to see removal so readily done.
At any rate, this rewritten article from this kind of advocacy group demonstrates the problems with their selective issues very well. Essentially, the complaint they have is that 1) per the law , NICs searches are deleted within 24 hours, and 2) because that happens, and because of further limitations written into law , anti-gun groups cannot use this data.
AFAICT, the claims made are specious at best, and distortions at worst. Given the fact that " gun control " is a losing proposition--as demonstrated in no less than five or six well-done polls (since November '08 alone)--antigun groups like this one are casting about for ANY supposed issue.
Well, there is no issue here--merely compliance with the law. And, even the progressive president sees the rationale for this law.
Find another issue.
Jim H.
gun control: the belief that a woman raped and strangled with her own hose is morally superior to one who defends herself with a firearm.
The purpose of the Tiahrt Amendments was to protect data on enforcement-owned weapons from the Freedom of Information Act. Officers and agents did not want their private information available to the public. Since the Tiahrt Amendment was incorporated, there has been other measures put into place to protect the law enforcement individual that does make this amendment less critical. However, there are provisions in the amendment that have retained importance to the present Administration. Cause and effect of "not" having the Tiahrt Amendment needs to be addressed because there is possibly more involved, towards the safety of our enforcement personnel.
With this second posting in as many days, Freedom States Alliance is using Opposing Views not as expression of opinion, but to promote an agenda with few facts and recruit activist into a "call-in" campaign. I know that Opposing Views is a public Soap Box, which makes these pages enthralling, but to sponsor a physical campaign? I will have to review other postings to ascertain whether this, to me, is appropriate. What is your opinion?
Oh yeah sure, that’s a great idea. This way anti-gun fanatical groups can trace it right to the owner’s front door and harass them in person. Even though they purchased it legally and with the stipulations of the Brady Bill and approval of the FBI. I don’t own a gun, do not belong to the NRA. I feel myself to be middle of the road on this issue. But even to me this sounds ridiculous and the author doesn’t see this obvious problem?
You contradict yourself in that same article, who else is going to catch those illegal dealers then law enforcement and their officials? We are not supposed to own guns because (in your position?) that’s the job of law enforcement, but that very same force that we are supposed to trust our lives with, doesn’t meet the investigation standards of the Freedom States Alliance? Which is of course why they should have access. You know for *wink* “research”.
When some NRA extreme fanatic says everyone needs a rocket launcher and six assault rifles. I don’t see that much of a need, I just wouldn’t buy it and shrug it off. Freedom of choice is a beautiful thing. Hey he’s not coming to my doorstep selling me the thing. On the other hand. When I see such obvious effort to leverage the perfect avenue to brow beat their opponents in person. Well now THAT, just scares the hell out of me.