No Retaining Every Gun In a System That Restricts Your Rights Act
- Bill Number
- S. 119
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Crime and Law Enforcement
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-01-16: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- Last Updated
- 2026-04-16T11:03:24Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose
This legislation aims to prevent the federal government from maintaining a national registry of firearm transactions by requiring the destruction of existing records from discontinued firearms businesses and prohibiting the future collection of such records. It seeks to protect gun owner privacy by eliminating the retention of these business records by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
Key Provisions
- Destruction of Records: Within 90 days of enactment, the ATF Director must destroy all firearm transaction records previously submitted by discontinued firearms businesses under existing law (18 U.S.C. § 923(g)(4)). These records include details of firearm sales and transfers handled by licensed dealers who have gone out of business.
- Amendment to Existing Law: The bill modifies 18 U.S.C. § 923(g)(4) by removing the requirements for discontinued firearms businesses to submit their transaction records to the Attorney General (who oversees the ATF). This stops future collections.
- Reporting Requirement: The ATF Director must submit a report to Congress detailing the exact number of records destroyed under the new law.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Prior to this bill, federal law (18 U.S.C. § 923(g)(4)) required licensed firearms dealers who discontinued business to forward their acquisition and disposition records—essentially logs of gun sales and transfers—to the Attorney General for storage. This created a centralized archive of transaction data.
- The amendment eliminates these second and third sentences of the statute, ending the mandatory submission and retention process. This shifts policy away from long-term federal storage of business records, which some view as a step toward a national gun registry.
Potential Impacts
- On Government Agencies: The ATF will need to implement a one-time destruction process and adjust internal procedures to comply with the ban on future collections, potentially reducing administrative burdens but requiring resources for the initial report and record purge.
- On Citizens: Gun owners and purchasers benefit from enhanced privacy, as their transaction histories from defunct dealers will no longer be retained federally, reducing risks of data misuse or unauthorized access. However, it may limit law enforcement's ability to trace firearms in certain investigations relying on these records.
- On International Relations: No direct impacts, as the bill focuses on domestic firearm record-keeping.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Firearms Businesses and Licensees: Discontinued dealers and their former customers, who no longer face federal retention of their sales records.
- Gun Owners and Second Amendment Advocates: Individuals concerned about privacy and government tracking of firearm purchases.
- Federal Law Enforcement (ATF and DOJ): Agencies that previously received and stored these records, now required to destroy them and adapt operations.
- Congress: Receives oversight through the required report, influencing future gun policy debates.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal Implications: The bill reinforces limits on federal authority over firearm records, aligning with statutes like the Firearm Owners' Protection Act (1986), which prohibits a national firearms registry (18 U.S.C. § 926). It may face challenges if seen as hindering criminal investigations, but it does not alter core background check requirements under the Brady Act.
- Constitutional Implications: Supports Second Amendment privacy concerns by curbing potential government overreach in tracking lawful gun ownership, though it does not directly address registration bans in the Constitution.
- Political Implications: Introduced by a bipartisan group of senators focused on gun rights, it highlights ongoing debates over balancing public safety with individual privacy in firearms regulation, potentially influencing broader gun control legislation in the 119th Congress.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (11)
Sen. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY], Sen. Daines, Steve [R-MT], Sen. Marshall, Roger [R-KS], Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT], Sen. Ricketts, Pete [R-NE], Sen. Mullin, Markwayne [R-OK], Sen. Hyde-Smith, Cindy [R-MS], Sen. Crapo, Mike [R-ID], Sen. Cassidy, Bill [R-LA], Sen. Graham, Lindsey [R-SC], Sen. Paul, Rand [R-KY]
Recent Actions
- 2025-01-16: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- 2025-01-16: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- No Retaining Every Gun In a System That Restricts Your Rights Act — issued 2025-01-16 — PDF (2 pages)