Bills Fall Short Of Providing Real Change

July 17, 2007

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We suppose we should be grateful for any gun-control bill that comes out of Harrisburg. But these two laws are not expected to have a significant impact on the steady flow of illegal guns.

Which is truly a shame, since they come at the same time that Congress failed to repeal the Tiahrt amendment; this repeal would have made it easier for ATFE to share gun trace information with law- enforcement officials, so that a clearer picture of illegal gun trafficking could be drawn.

The Tiahrt amendment has no logical reason for being. Supporters, namely the National Rifle Association, claim that such access to trace information would threaten undercover agents working gun cases. This has absolutely nothing to do with gunowner rights.

Mayors and police chiefs from more than 200 cities and 10 major law enforcement agencies believe that sharing the data will help identify dirty gun dealers and traffickers across the country.

And the fact that this amendment passed in a House where Democrats are in charge makes us wonder if there really is a sea change in Congress, or if the NRA will keep calling the shots with gun control, no matter which party is in charge.