April 28: Congress Puts Your Gun Trace Data on Trial

Mark it in red: **April 28**, the House Oversight Subcommittee on Federal Law Enforcement convenes a dedicated hearing on the ATF and the Tiahrt Amendment—the appropriations riders that have blocked a de facto federal gun registry since 2003.

The Tiahrt protections aren't complicated. Restrictions on sharing trace data. Mandatory 24-hour destruction of approved NICS records. A hard prohibition on forced dealer inventory audits. Three layers of firewall. Three targets on the chopping block.

Here's the specific weapon aimed at all three: Rep. Madeleine Dean introduced the **Gun Records Restoration and Preservation Act** in June 2025—a bill that strips *every* core Tiahrt protection in a single stroke and hands the ATF expanded authority over trace data and FOIA access. April 28 isn't a policy discussion. It's the pressure campaign engineered to move that bill.

**This is how the playbook works.** You don't win the vote on day one. You book the hearing, generate the media clips, build the legislative record, and soften the political ground so the next Congress finishes the job. Gun owners have watched this slow-roll before.

The subcommittee carries a Republican lean—and yes, that matters. It's the only reason this isn't already a full legislative ambush. But lean is not a lock, and comfortable is how you lose.

No registry. No forced audits. No exceptions. **Those aren't negotiating positions—they're the line.**

Tune into wtfnews.tv April 28 for live coverage. Before that, contact your House representative now and put Tiahrt on their radar. The other side already has their camera time scheduled. Make sure your voice is louder.