Paper Trail for Guns

[in Spanish] "Go to the sporting goods store. From the files obtain Forms 4473. These will contain descriptions of weapons, and lists of private ownership."
--Col Ernesto Bella (The Red Dawn)

In the original film The Red Dawn, there is a scene where the Cuban-born head of local invading forces instructs his subordinates to head to the sporting goods stores and look for the records that indicate who owns the guns in town. Knowing who those people were, of course, would make it easier for the invaders to anticipate and counter resistance.

Currently, the feds have access to gun ownership info. By law, however, they can use that info for statistical purposes only and must destroy identifiable information such as names and addresses.

A new GAO report, however, finds that the feds, specifically the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) is not adhering to this policy. As Judge Nap observes, this constitutes another situation where this lawless administration has broken the law.

It is easy to construe where this brand of lawlessness heads under particular heads of state.