By Steve Neavling
The city of Baltimore is suing the ATF over a 2003 law that prohibits local officials from accessing the agency’s firearms trace databases, CNN reports.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott says the Tiahrt Amendment makes it difficult for the city to reduce gun violence if they cannot figure out where they came from.
“When you’re dealing with an issue as complicated as gun violence, you need every single tool at your disposal and as long as we don’t have access to this information, we won’t have every tool,” Scott told CNN.
The Tiahrt Amendment enables law enforcement and prosecutors to obtain gun tracing data, but the law prohibits them from sharing the information.
In the suit, the city argues the ATF’s interpretation of the Tiahrt Amendment is too narrow and that the agency cannot forbid officials from obtaining gun history under a Freedom of Information Act request.
Proponents of the law argue that releasing the data will endanger investigators and hurt firearm retailers.
Scott says the lawsuit is not intended to target lawful firearms owners and dealers.
“This is trying to save American lives and help police investigations so that they’re not tracking down the same guns coming from the same stores each and every year, which is happening on the streets of Baltimore and cities around this country right now,” Scott said.
