HYDE-SMITH BILL WOULD FORBID USE OF FEDERAL MONEY FOR STATE GUN REGISTRIES
Miss. Senator’s GRIP Act Would Protect Gun Owners’ Privacy Rights
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In light of some states placing restrictions on gun owners, U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith today introduced legislation to ensure federal funding cannot be used by states, localities, or any other organization to maintain gun registries.
The Gun-owner Registration Information Protection Act (GRIP Act) would clarify existing law that prohibits the use of any federal funding by states or local entities for the storage or “listing” of sensitive, personal information related to the legal ownership or possession of firearms. S.3135 has been referred to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
“Not a single federal dollar should be used for states or cities efforts to target law-abiding gun owners,” said Hyde-Smith, a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association (NRA).
“My bill would ensure no federal funds are used, either intentionally or not, for these misguided gun control efforts. This legislation is needed to ensure the federal government is not involved in exploiting the personal information of law-abiding people who own or purchase firearms legally,” she said.
Under current law, the federal government may not store information acquired during the firearms background process. The Hyde-Smith bill clarifies that this prohibition extends to the use of federal funds by states, localities, and other groups for the creation or maintenance of a full or partial gun registries.
The Hyde-Smith measure has been endorsed by the NRA.
“This important legislation will block the use of federal funds to support gun registration schemes. As a strong Second Amendment advocate, Senator Hyde-Smith continues to fight to uphold law abiding citizens’ constitutional right to self-protection. I applaud her efforts and thank her on behalf of the NRA’s six million members,” said Chris W. Cox, executive director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action.
The measure does not include any limitations related to state recordkeeping for permitting, law enforcement-issued firearms, or lost or stolen firearms.
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