"ATF's own 1985 rulemaking acknowledged that the law-enforcement value of firearms records drops sharply after 10–15 years. ATF also admitted to Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX) that the agency has no ability to link crime gun traces to actual prosecutions."

So by ATF's own accounting, the data loses investigative value inside 15 years — but the proposal keeps it for 60. That math only makes sense if tracing crimes isn't actually the point.

"If you've bought a gun from a dealer that later closed, your 4473 is already at ATF."

This isn't theoretical for a lot of us. Gun shops close all the time — I've bought from at least three that don't exist anymore. Every one of those transactions is already sitting in a federal database. This rule decides whether there's ever an end to that.

The GOA model comment at gunowners.org/na20260511 takes about three minutes to submit. Worth doing before the window closes.

How many of you have bought from dealers that have since shut down — and did you know those records transferred to ATF when they did?

Read the full article in The Handbook → | By Steve Duskett