The ongoing debate about the "Tiahrt amendment" has generated plenty of heat but little light. Here's an indisputable fact, though, made urgent post-Sept. 11: Law enforcement agencies need to share information and work together to fight crime.

The Tiahrt amendment, by restricting local law enforcement agencies' access to gun crime data compiled by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, has worked against that commonsense goal.

It needs to be substantially revised or scrapped when it comes up for House hearings next week.

Prior to Tiahrt's 2003 measure, local authorities routinely had access to ATF aggregate data, which includes information on regional gun patterns and the kinds of weapons used in crimes -- and there were no reported problems.

Then in 2003, Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Goddard, introduced his National Rifle Association-backed amendment, arguing that the restrictions were needed in part to protect the gun industry from "nuisance lawsuits" by cities. But Congress in 2005 passed legislation largely shielding the gun industry from legal action.

So why is the Tiahrt amendment still needed?

Tiahrt, the ATF and the Fraternal Order of Police argue that the restrictions protect the identity of undercover cops and ongoing investigations. But Tiahrt has been challenged to provide evidence that the ATF's past release of gun data endangered cops, and he has yet to produce a single example.

Moreover, the Freedom of Information Act has provisions specifically exempting information that might endanger law enforcement personnel or operations -- provisions the ATF has used effectively in the past.

In short, there's not compelling evidence that ending the Tiahrt amendment would put cops at risk. There is ample evidence, however, that the Tiahrt restrictions deny local police a valuable crime-fighting tool.

...

Even Tiahrt admits problems in his measure, saying the ATF has "misinterpreted" it in overly restrictive ways. Whether a "tweak" of the language, as offered by Tiahrt, would satisfy critics' concerns remains unclear.

What is clear is that the Tiahrt amendment locks up gun crime data at a time when gun violence is increasing in America's cities.

That isn't in the public interest.

For the editorial board, Randy Scholfield