Building a List: The ATF Has Gathered Millions of Records on US Gun Owners As Biden Administration Looks to Crackdown on Firearms

A stunning report by the Washington Free Beacon has revealed how the Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms has amassed over 50 million records on US gun owners during Biden’s short time as president. The information was uncovered thanks to a leaked internal document that was provided to the outlet by the 2nd amendment advocacy group Gun Owners of America.

According to the leaked ATF document, in the fiscal year 2021, the ATF processed 54.7 million ‘out-of-business’ records that included the personal information and sales records of their customers. Current federal policy dictates that when a licensed gun store goes out of business, its private transaction records are seized by the ATF and stored at a secure facility in West Virginia.

The questionable and dangerous practice of collecting this data has rightfully drawn intense backlash from gun-rights advocacy groups because it essentially allows the federal government to create a database of gun owners and keep track of recent firearm purchases, which is unconstitutional and illegal.

From the Washington Free Beacon:

“When a licensed gun store goes out of business, its private records detailing gun transactions become ATF property and are stored at a federal site in West Virginia. This practice allows the federal government to stockpile scores of gun records and has drawn outrage from gun advocacy groups that say the government is using this information to create a national database of gun owners—which has long been prohibited under U.S. law.

The ATF obtained 53.8 million paper records and another 887,000 electronic records, according to the internal document that outlines ATF actions in fiscal year 2021. Gun activists described this figure as worryingly high and said it contributes to fears that the Biden administration is trying to keep track of all Americans who own firearms, in violation of federal statutes.