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Republican lawmakers are taking decisive action to prevent the creation of a federal gun registry with new legislation being introduced on Thursday. Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX) and Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID) are spearheading the “No REGISTRY Rights Act,” which aims to protect Second Amendment rights and counter what they view as ATF overreach during the Biden administration.

The initiative comes in response to concerning revelations from February 2022, when reports emerged showing the ATF had compiled an extensive database containing information on more than 900 million firearm purchases by American citizens. The Washington Free Beacon had reported that the agency disclosed to lawmakers its management of “920,664,765 firearm purchase records” in both digital and physical formats.

“A federal firearm registry is explicitly banned by law. Yet, the Biden administration is again circumventing Congress and enabling the notably corrupt ATF to manage a database of nearly a billion gun transfer records…Under the president’s watch, the ATF has increased surveillance on American gun owners at an abhorrent level. The Biden administration continues to empower criminals and foreign nationals while threatening the rights of law-abiding Americans. It’s shameful and this administration should reconsider its continued attacks on American gun owners,” Rep. Cloud stated during his investigation of the ATF’s record collection.

The legislation addresses growing concerns about the Biden administration’s second-year policy requiring Federal Firearm License holders to permanently maintain records, reversing long-standing rules that permitted record destruction after 20 years. When combined with the ATF’s stringent “zero tolerance” policy, which has forced many gun-related businesses to close due to minor clerical errors, this has resulted in an increasing number of records being transferred to the ATF.

Cloud’s office has expressed concern that when FFL records are transferred to the ATF, they become part of the agency’s Out-of-Business Records Imaging System (OBRIS) database indefinitely, potentially creating the framework for a federal gun registry.

The proposed legislation aims to address these issues through three main provisions: mandating the deletion of all current ATF firearm transaction records, allowing FFLs to destroy transaction records upon closing their business, and implementing a permanent ban on any federal agency’s ability to create or maintain a firearms registry.

“The Second Amendment is a cornerstone of individual liberty, and no administration—Republican or Democrat—should have the ability to compile a list of law-abiding gun owners. The Biden Administration’s backdoor attempts to create a federal firearms registry are a clear threat to Americans’ privacy and constitutional freedoms. The No REGISTRY Rights Act will dismantle the ATF’s existing database and ensure such a registry can never be implemented,” Rep. Cloud remarked.

“The ATF’s excessive overreach has gone unchecked for too long. Idaho’s law-abiding gun owners should not be subject to an already illegal federal firearms registry. The Second Amendment is not conditional to a list of guns in circulation and their owners. All law-abiding Americans have the undeniable right to keep and bear arms. My No Registry Rights Act will safeguard this essential liberty for generations to come,” Sen. Risch added.