RELEASE: Rep. Cloud and Sen. Risch Introduce Bill to Block Federal Gun Registry
WASHINGTON—Congressman Michael Cloud (TX-27) and Senator Jim Risch (R-ID) today reintroduced the No REGISTRY Rights Act, legislation prohibiting the federal government from creating a federal firearms registry. This reintroduction builds on Congressman Cloud’s longstanding leadership in the fight to defend Second Amendment rights and address the ATF’s overreach.
Congressman Cloud has consistently led efforts in Congress to hold the ATF accountable, including supporting appropriations measures to defund the agency’s abusive practices. His work was instrumental in uncovering that the ATF’s Out-of-Business Records Imaging System (OBRIS) holds more than 920 million firearm transaction records, a figure that shocked gun owners nationwide. A subsequent report by Gun Owners of America revealed how the ATF’s database could be exploited to create a door-to-door confiscation list, further underscoring the danger posed by the current system.
Under current law, Federal Firearm Licensees (FFLs) must transfer their firearm transaction records to the ATF upon closing their business. These records are stored indefinitely in the OBRIS database, laying the groundwork for a federal gun registry. In 2022, the Biden Administration finalized a rule requiring FFLs to retain records permanently, overturning decades of policy that allowed these records to be destroyed after 20 years. This policy, combined with the ATF’s “zero-tolerance” enforcement strategy—which punishes even minor paperwork errors—has forced many small businesses to close, further expanding the database.
The No REGISTRY Rights Act directly addresses these issues by:
- Requiring the ATF to delete all existing firearm transaction records, dismantling the current database.
- Allowing FFLs to destroy transaction records when they go out of business, preventing further accumulation by the ATF.
- Prohibiting any federal agency from creating or maintaining a firearms registry in the future.
Congressman Cloud stated, “The Second Amendment is a cornerstone of individual liberty, and no administration—Republican or Democrat—should have the ability to compile a list of law-abiding gun owners. The Biden Administration’s backdoor attempts to create a federal firearms registry are a clear threat to Americans’ privacy and constitutional freedoms. The No REGISTRY Rights Act will dismantle the ATF’s existing database and ensure such a registry can never be implemented.”
Senator Risch stated, “The ATF’s excessive overreach has gone unchecked for too long. Idaho’s law-abiding gun owners should not be subject to an already illegal federal firearms registry. The Second Amendment is not conditional to a list of guns in circulation and their owners. All law-abiding Americans have the undeniable right to keep and bear arms. My No Registry Rights Act will safeguard this essential liberty for generations to come.”
Hunter King, Director of Political Affairs for National Association for Gun Rights stated,“ATF’s hoarding of nearly a billion gun records is a blatant violation of the law and a direct threat to Americans’ privacy. This is nothing short of an illegal power grab to create a federal gun registry. The No REGISTRY Rights Act will put a stop to this overreach and protect the Second Amendment from government abuse.”
Aidan Johnston, Director of Federal Affairs, Gun Owners of America stated, “Thanks to Congressman Cloud’s work, gun owners learned that ATF is maintaining a registry of more than 920,664,765 records. A subsequent GOA report uncovered the dangerous search functionality of this database which could be used to generate a door-to-door gun confiscation list. ATF is in clear violation of the federal ban on gun registration, so this illegal registry must be destroyed. We are proud to support the No REGISTRY Rights Act and urge this Congress and the President to swiftly deal with this existential threat to our Second Amendment rights.”
Groups Supporting: Gun Owners of America (GOA), National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR), National Rifle Association (NRA)
Cosponsors: Sen. Crapo, Sen. Daines, Sen. Lummis, Sen. Marshall, Sen. Mullin, Sen. Ricketts, Sen. Sheehy, Rep. Bean, Rep. Bost, Rep. Cline, Rep. Clyde, Rep. Crenshaw, Rep. Davidson, Rep. DesJarlais, Rep. Donalds, Rep. Dunn, Rep. Fallon, Rep. Gooden, Rep. Green, Rep. Grothman, Rep. Hageman, Rep. Harshbarger, Rep. Harris, Rep. Higgins, Rep. Hudson, Rep. Johnson, Rep. LaMalfa, Rep. Luna, Rep. Mann, Rep. Massie, Rep. Moore (AL), Rep. Moore (WV), Rep. Nehls, Rep. Ogles, Rep. Rose, Rep. Roy, Rep. Rulli, Rep. Rutherford, Rep. Self, Rep. Sessions, Rep. Strong, Rep. Tenney, Rep. Thompson, Rep. Timmons, and Rep. Weber.
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