Repeal Restrictions on Gun Trace Data

What does this solve?

First enacted by Congress in 2003 as a rider to an appropriations bill, the Tiahrt Rider has restricted public access to data about gun crime and firearm trafficking.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) maintains data in its Firearms Trace Systems database, pertaining to gun recoveries all over the country. Starting in 2003, Congress enacted limitations on ATF’s ability to use appropriated funds to disclose trace data. The rider has been applied in an overly-expansive manner to bar disclosure of critical data under FOIA to the public. Early versions of the Tiahrt Riders even impeded law enforcement’s ability to access trace data. Blocking this data from disclosure protects corrupt gun dealers and hinders localities from enacting effective, targeted gun crime solutions. Repealing the Tiahrt Rider would help address gun violence nationwide.

Which states give law enforcement tools designed to address crime guns?

29 states have adopted this policy

Repealing the 2012 Tiahrt Rider would aid both the public in understanding where crime guns in their communities come from and policymakers in crafting targeted solutions to gun crime.

The Supply Side of Violence: How Gun Dealers Fuel Firearm Trafficking Report

Crime gun tracing is a critical data source—it can help solve gun crimes, and it can also help identify where the guns used in crimes are originating from and wider trends in gun trafficking. But since 2003, annual riders attached to U.S. Department of Justice appropriation bills have prohibited ATF’s use of appropriated funds to disclose most of this important data with the public. This Rider is known as the Tiahrt Rider or the Tiahrt Amendment—named for Representative Todd Tiahrt who first introduced the Rider. At the time of its passage, Rep. Tiahrt was quoted saying, “I wanted to make sure I was fulfilling the needs of my friends who are firearms dealers. NRA officials were helpful in making sure I had my bases covered.” This data-blocking measure serves to protect corrupt dealers and hinder policymakers.

Congress enacted the current and only operative version of the Tiahrt Rider in 2012. The 2012 Tiahrt Rider exempts from the general funding limitation disclosures to federal, local, and foreign law enforcement or intelligence. It also includes language, explaining that the Rider should not be construed to prevent: (A) disclosing statistical information related to the production of licensed importers or manufacturers; (B) the exchange of information among law enforcement officials; and (C) publishing annual statistical reports on ATF regulated products and statistical aggregate data on firearms trafficking and misuse.

By the numbers

1.27M

By the end of 2026, an estimated 1.27 million guns will have been illegally trafficked since 2017.

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$695M

Trafficked firearms are big business. Everytown estimates that between 2017 and 2023, gun dealers earned approximately $695 million from sales of trafficked firearms.

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88M

An estimated 88 million guns were sold in the United States from 2020 to 2024—a 24 percent increase compared to the previous five years.

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Featured Resources

A blue-tinged image of a wall of handguns on display in what appears to be a shop, overlaid by a gold-hued aerial view of a city blueprint, representing gun trafficking in the US.

The Supply Side of Violence: How Gun Dealers Fuel Firearm Trafficking

Examining the scale of firearm trafficking in the U.S., how gun dealers fuel it, and a roadmap for state action to help protect communities.

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Who is Manufacturing the Guns Used in Crimes?

The same manufacturers who are engaging in risky business practices to profit the most from gun sales are also behind the most gun crimes.

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Five Things to Know About Crime Guns, Gun Trafficking, and Background Checks

The current patchwork of state laws makes it easy for individuals to traffic firearms from states with weaker gun laws.

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