A new rule finalized by President Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday mandates that Federal Firearms License holders (FFLs) perpetually retain records on gun buyers.
Previously, FFLs were obligated to keep such records for 20 years, but the new rule changes that, mandating that FFLs retain records for as long as they are licensed gun dealers.
On August 24, 2022, the DOJ announced that its rule 2021R-05F is now final and in effect.
The DOJ used one part of the announcement to note that the new rule changes the record-keeping timeline, saying: “[FFLs must] retain records for the length of time they are licensed, thereby expanding records retention beyond the prior requirement of 20 years.”
This means there will be a record of every gun sale — including serial number, purchaser’s name, address, etc. — on file at the gun store for the ATF to peruse when they visit the store to check on the FFL’s record keeping.
The expansion of the record-keeping mandate comes during a year when Americans have learned that the ATF has stockpiled over 900 million records on gun purchases.
On February 1, 2022, Breitbart News noted a Washington Free Beacon report that indicated, “The ATF disclosed to lawmakers that it manages a database of 920,664,765 firearm purchase records, including both digital and hard copy versions of these transactions.”
Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX) took part in the investigation into the ATF’s record collection and warned that the Biden administration could use the accumulated information to launch a gun registry:
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.
With FFLs forced to preserve records for as long as they are licensed to sell guns, the opportunities for the ATF to further its data collection are endless.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.