# Crime Gun Tracing Modernization Act of 2023

This bill requires the federal government to create a searchable computer database of firearm records to help law enforcement trace guns used in crimes. Right now, gun dealers are required to keep detailed records of every firearm they sell, but these records are mostly stored on paper or in scattered computer systems that are difficult to search. The bill gives the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) three years to build a centralized electronic database that brings all these records together in one searchable system. This would work similarly to how police can now quickly search fingerprint databases or license plate registries to solve crimes.

The database would be searchable by gun characteristics like the manufacturer, model, serial number, and caliber—basically any identifying feature of the weapon itself. However, the bill specifically prohibits searching by personal information like names or addresses, which addresses privacy concerns about creating a registry of gun owners. Law enforcement could only access this database for legitimate purposes: investigating specific crimes, gathering foreign intelligence information, or checking compliance during inspections of gun dealers. The system would also allow gun dealers to voluntarily submit their records electronically and would let the ATF access state and local gun registration systems if those states agree to it.

For most gun owners and dealers, this change would be largely invisible. Licensed gun dealers would continue doing business as usual, though they'd have the option to store their records electronically with the federal system instead of keeping paper files. For law enforcement, this modernization could significantly speed up investigations—instead of manually searching through thousands of paper records from different dealers, investigators could quickly search the database when a gun is recovered at a crime scene. The bill is designed to help solve gun crimes more efficiently while maintaining privacy protections by preventing searches based on individual names or ownership information.

Crime Gun Tracing Modernization Act of 2023

Pascrell, Bill

Crime Gun Tracing Modernization Act of 2023 This bill requires the National Tracing Center within the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to establish and maintain an electronic, searchable database of records related to certain firearms transactions.