Texas Rep. Michael Cloud, Other Republicans Warn ATF Rule Change Could Lead to Unlawful Gun Registry

Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX-27) led a letter with 51 other Republican members of Congress to the head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), expressing concern that the agency is encroaching on the Second Amendment.

In the letter, the lawmakers say that they fear the “Biden Administration is intent on creating a federal gun registry by circumventing the legislative process.”

Under current law and regulations, federal firearms licensees (FFLs) that are in the gun-selling business are required to keep records of firearm purchases for at least 20 years.

Although law prohibits the federal government from maintaining a centralized registry of firearm ownership, FFLs that go out of business are required to transfer their records to the ATF.