Comment on FR Doc # 2026-08929

ATF Firearm Records Retention Periods Comments Ref: RIN 1140-AA95 ATF has confirmed to Congress that nearly a billion records of non-NFA firearms have been collected into a digitized database. For all intents and purposes, this is a registry. ATF maintains that this registry cannot be searched for firearm owners, and that the registry is needed for tracing firearms in criminal investigations. However, when Congress requested evidence that tracing firearms solves crimes, ATF reportedly provided no such evidence. The idea that searching for firearm owner names is not presently possible is little consolation to those who understand that any digital database can readily be made searchable for anything contained in that database. Coupled with the knowledge that history proves firearm registries have always led to disarmament of the population when a government transitions to tyranny, a firearm registry is an abomination to freedom-loving people. Although the current ATF seems to view the second amendment with more respect than in the past, the danger posed by a registry will remain into the future when a malevolent faction may gain power. Indeed, whether the registry exists or not could very well determine if our nation ultimately can remain a free society. To me, that danger vastly outweighs any positive effects that could accrue from the registry. Therefore, ATF must cease acquiring firearm records from FFLs, and the registry must be destroyed. Furthermore, its destruction must be overseen and verified by an entity other than ATF, and that entity must include knowledgeable citizens who have demonstrated that their view of the second amendment is strongly freedom-oriented. Ultimately, records for firearm sales must be limited only to verifying the buyer is not a prohibited person. The particular item involved in the transaction is irrelevant for a lawful exercise of a fundamental right.