The AIM Act of 2023 gives the federal government's gun enforcement agency (the ATF) more power to regulate firearms and collect information about gun sales and ownership. Right now, there are several legal restrictions that prevent the ATF from doing certain things—this bill removes most of those restrictions.

Here's what would change in practical terms: The ATF could now keep and use data about which guns are traced to crimes, consolidate records from gun dealers into a central database, require gun dealers to do physical inventory checks, and electronically access records from gun dealers who go out of business. Background check records wouldn't have to be destroyed as quickly as they currently are. The agency would also have more flexibility in deciding which firearms can be imported into the country and which gun dealers can keep their licenses.

The bill also makes it easier for the government to deny or revoke a gun dealer's license—currently they need to prove a "willful" violation of gun laws, but the bill would lower that to just a "knowing" violation, which is a lower legal standard. Additionally, if someone wants to challenge the government's decision to deny or revoke their license in court, they'd have a harder time doing so because the bill removes a legal standard that currently allows judges to review these decisions more thoroughly.

Overall, this bill shifts power toward federal gun enforcement by removing restrictions that currently limit what the ATF can do with gun sales data and how strictly it can regulate gun dealers.

AIM Act of 2023

Beyer, Donald S.

ATF Improvement and Modernization Act of 2023 or the AIM Act of 2023 This bill removes limitations on the authority of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to conduct activities related to the administration of federal firearms laws. Specifically, the bill removes provisions that <ul> <li>limit the use of firearms tracing data; </li> <li>prohibit consolidating or centralizing records maintained by federal firearm licensees, or FFLs (e.g., gun dealers); </li> <li>prohibit imposing a requirement that gun dealers conduct a physical inventory; </li> <li>require national instant criminal background check records to be destroyed within 24 hours; </li> <li>limit the disclosure of data under the Freedom of Information Act; </li> <li> prohibit the ATF from altering the definition of or denying certain import applications for a curio or relic firearm; </li> <li> prohibit the denial of a federal firearms license due to lack of business activity; </li> <li> prohibit transferring the ATF's functions, missions, or activities to other agencies or departments; </li> <li> prohibit the electronic retrieval of information gathered from firearm transaction records of FFLs that go out of business; and </li> <li> prohibit the ATF from denying an application to import certain shotguns. </li> </ul> Additionally, the bill <ul> <li>raises the liability standard for denying or revoking a federal firearms license from a willful violation to a knowing violation of federal firearms laws or regulations, and </li> <li>removes the de novo standard of judicial review for appealing the denial or revocation of a federal firearms license. </li> </ul>