www.minnesotamonitor.com/...aryId=2076
Faced with restrictions to trace illegal guns data, the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul joined last week more than 200 counterparts around the country who issued a strongly worded criticism against Congress for reauthorizing a bill that leaves local authorities in the dark about the sources of illegal guns.
"At a time when many cities face the challenge of gun-related crime, I am deeply disappointed that Congress has chosen not to stand with local police in their battle to get guns off the streets of Minneapolis and other cities across America," said Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak in a statement. "Instead of standing with the victims of illegal gun violence, Congress has chosen to stand with special interests who peddle fear and misinformation."
The principal advocate and sponsor of the bill is Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Kansas. With a massive support from the powerful National Rifle Association (NRA), the "Tiahrt amendment," as its widely known, passed the Appropriations Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives last week. It also cleared a Senate committee.
Mayors are lobbying congressional lawmakers to repeal the bill, which they say ties their hands behind their backs in front of crimes involving illegal guns.
In Minneapolis, for example, the police seized more than 1,400 illegal guns last year. Upwards of 1,000 of those guns were used in crimes, police data shows.
But Tiahrt isn't buying the mayors' appeal. Releasing "investigation-specific information to the public," he said in a statement on his Web site, "would jeopardize ongoing criminal investigations and risk the lives of undercover law enforcement officers."
The primary custody of gun trace data lies with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), a federal agency. Under the Tiahrt amendment, local law enforcement agencies can obtain gun trace data from ATF if it concerns a specific criminal investigation or prosecution.
That's not enough for the 225 mayors who launched "The Mayors against Illegal Guns" coalition in the wake of this amendment. They are interested in broader data that would pinpoint the sources of illegal guns in their streets.
A study by the ATF showed that only 1 percent of gun-dealers account for roughly 60 percent of illegal guns across the country. The Tiahrt amendment blocks the ATF from sharing information about those rogue dealers with local authorities.
Absence of such a crucial crime-fighting tool would make stakes too high, say critics of the amendment. "I think this is a dangerous bill," said Sue Fust, executive director of Citizens for a Safer Minnesota. "People need to know information about crime patterns."
Supporters of the bill point to the Second Amendment as an inherent right for Americans to legally own guns. Joel Rosenberg, a member of Gun Owners of America, said the "Tiahrt amendmentis an important first step."
The amendment would prohibit mayors from wasting funds, violating privacy and "and the endangering of innocent lives by the promiscuous use and release of trace data," he said.
Chagrined by Congress, mayors are pushing tougher state laws on illegal guns, though they vowed to not give up at the federal level.
"This amendment is wrong, and we will not give up trying to get rid of it," said Mayor Rybak on behalf of fellow mayors.
Faced with restrictions to trace illegal guns data, the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul joined last week more than 200 counterparts around the country who issued a strongly worded criticism against Congress for reauthorizing a bill that leaves local authorities in the dark about the sources of illegal guns.
"At a time when many cities face the challenge of gun-related crime, I am deeply disappointed that Congress has chosen not to stand with local police in their battle to get guns off the streets of Minneapolis and other cities across America," said Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak in a statement. "Instead of standing with the victims of illegal gun violence, Congress has chosen to stand with special interests who peddle fear and misinformation."
The principal advocate and sponsor of the bill is Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Kansas. With a massive support from the powerful National Rifle Association (NRA), the "Tiahrt amendment," as its widely known, passed the Appropriations Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives last week. It also cleared a Senate committee.
Mayors are lobbying congressional lawmakers to repeal the bill, which they say ties their hands behind their backs in front of crimes involving illegal guns.
In Minneapolis, for example, the police seized more than 1,400 illegal guns last year. Upwards of 1,000 of those guns were used in crimes, police data shows.
But Tiahrt isn't buying the mayors' appeal. Releasing "investigation-specific information to the public," he said in a statement on his Web site, "would jeopardize ongoing criminal investigations and risk the lives of undercover law enforcement officers."
The primary custody of gun trace data lies with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), a federal agency. Under the Tiahrt amendment, local law enforcement agencies can obtain gun trace data from ATF if it concerns a specific criminal investigation or prosecution.
That's not enough for the 225 mayors who launched "The Mayors against Illegal Guns" coalition in the wake of this amendment. They are interested in broader data that would pinpoint the sources of illegal guns in their streets.
A study by the ATF showed that only 1 percent of gun-dealers account for roughly 60 percent of illegal guns across the country. The Tiahrt amendment blocks the ATF from sharing information about those rogue dealers with local authorities.
Absence of such a crucial crime-fighting tool would make stakes too high, say critics of the amendment. "I think this is a dangerous bill," said Sue Fust, executive director of Citizens for a Safer Minnesota. "People need to know information about crime patterns."
Supporters of the bill point to the Second Amendment as an inherent right for Americans to legally own guns. Joel Rosenberg, a member of Gun Owners of America, said the "Tiahrt amendmentis an important first step."
The amendment would prohibit mayors from wasting funds, violating privacy and "and the endangering of innocent lives by the promiscuous use and release of trace data," he said.
Chagrined by Congress, mayors are pushing tougher state laws on illegal guns, though they vowed to not give up at the federal level.
"This amendment is wrong, and we will not give up trying to get rid of it," said Mayor Rybak on behalf of fellow mayors.
"the fundamental principle that a government and its agents are under no general duty to provide public services, such as police protection, to any particular individual citizen." Warren vs. The District of Columbia.
