{"id":113834,"date":"2025-12-11T20:40:54","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T02:40:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=113834"},"modified":"2025-12-11T20:40:54","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T02:40:54","slug":"113834","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=113834","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/statute-circuit\/the-atfs-quiet-digital-transformation-and-why-it-matters-8a10a53026fc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The ATF\u2019s Quiet Digital Transformation \u2014 And Why It Matters<\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The &quot;De Facto&quot; Registry: How the ATF Digitized 920 Million Gun Sales\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Cm_2clS8a1I\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s something most Americans don\u2019t know: when a federally licensed firearms dealer goes out of business, they\u2019re required to send their transaction records to the ATF. These records \u2014 Form 4473s documenting every gun sale \u2014 end up at the National Tracing Center in Martinsburg, West Virginia. The ATF uses them to trace firearms recovered at crime scenes back to their original point of sale.<\/p>\n<p>For decades, these records existed primarily on paper. Millions of documents, stored in shipping containers and warehouses, searchable only through painstaking manual labor. Tracing a single firearm could take days.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s changing. The ATF has been digitizing these out-of-business records for years, and according to Gun Owners of America, the agency digitized over 50 million records in 2021 alone, bringing the total to nearly one billion. In 2022, the Biden administration finalized a rule requiring dealers to retain records indefinitely rather than destroying them after 20 years \u2014 meaning even more records will eventually flow to the ATF when those dealers close.<\/p>\n<p>The question at the center of the debate: does this constitute a federal gun registry by another name?<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<div class=\"ic ib iz ja jb\">\n<div class=\"ac ci\">\n<div class=\"cp bi ii ij ik il\">\n<h2 id=\"b35c\" class=\"qc qd je bg qe qf qg qh gx qi qj qk gz ql qm qn qo qp qq qr qs qt qu qv qw qx bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">What\u2019s Changed Since I Published<\/h2>\n<p id=\"1832\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph of og je oh b oi qy ok ol om qz oo op ha ra or os hd rb ou ov hg rc ox oy oz ic bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">When I completed my research in August 2024, the Clyde amendment to defund the ATF\u2019s digitization efforts had just passed committee. Since then, we\u2019ve seen significant movement on multiple fronts \u2014 executive action, judicial decisions, and legislative proposals that collectively underscore both the volatility of this issue and the continued uncertainty surrounding firearms records.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"44ae\" class=\"qc qd je bg qe qf qg qh gx qi qj qk gz ql qm qn qo qp qq qr qs qt qu qv qw qx bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Executive Action and ATF Reform<\/h2>\n<p id=\"8569\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph of og je oh b oi qy ok ol om qz oo op ha ra or os hd rb ou ov hg rc ox oy oz ic bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">On February 7, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order titled<a class=\"ah ia\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/02\/protecting-second-amendment-rights\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">\u00a0\u201cProtecting Second Amendment Rights,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to review all Biden-era firearms regulations and identify \u201congoing infringements\u201d of Second Amendment rights. The order specifically targets ATF rules from 2021\u20132025, including those affecting record retention and Federal Firearms Licensees.<\/p>\n<p id=\"be43\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph of og je oh b oi oj ok ol om on oo op ha oq or os hd ot ou ov hg ow ox oy oz ic bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Following that order, the ATF<a class=\"ah ia\" href=\"https:\/\/www.atf.gov\/firearms\/protecting-second-amendment-rights\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">\u00a0replaced its \u201czero tolerance\u201d enforcement policy<\/a>\u00a0in May 2025. That policy had been revoking FFL licenses for even minor paperwork errors \u2014 and in doing so, accelerating the closure of dealers and the transfer of their records to the ATF\u2019s database. The new administrative action policy provides what the ATF calls \u201ca fair framework\u201d for addressing violations that don\u2019t impact public safety. FFLs whose licenses were revoked under the old policy may now reapply.<\/p>\n<p id=\"b596\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph of og je oh b oi oj ok ol om on oo op ha oq or os hd ot ou ov hg ow ox oy oz ic bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Reporting by<a class=\"ah ia\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/07\/02\/nx-s1-5440343\/trump-administration-atf-jobs-gun-restrictions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">\u00a0NPR in July 2025<\/a>\u00a0indicated that officials from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are working with ATF on changes to approximately 50 regulations, including a proposal to allow dealers to destroy records after 20 years rather than retain them indefinitely \u2014 a direct reversal of the 2022 rule change. If enacted, this would reduce the future flow of records to the National Tracing Center when FFLs close.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"47a3\" class=\"qc qd je bg qe qf qg qh gx qi qj qk gz ql qm qn qo qp qq qr qs qt qu qv qw qx bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Digitization Status<\/h2>\n<p id=\"2c32\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph of og je oh b oi qy ok ol om qz oo op ha ra or os hd rb ou ov hg rc ox oy oz ic bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">The ATF\u2019s digitization of out-of-business records at the National Tracing Center appears ongoing, with the facility continuing to receive several million records monthly. The overall count remains around 920 million records. No halt to digitization operations has been announced. However, Rep. Michael Cloud successfully attached an amendment to the appropriations bill requiring ATF to publicly disclose the number of records in its possession and their digitization progress \u2014 the first mandated public accounting since the 920 million figure emerged in 2021.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"6514\" class=\"qc qd je bg qe qf qg qh gx qi qj qk gz ql qm qn qo qp qq qr qs qt qu qv qw qx bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Judicial Developments: Mixed Signals<\/h2>\n<p id=\"7701\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph of og je oh b oi qy ok ol om qz oo op ha ra or os hd rb ou ov hg rc ox oy oz ic bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">The courts delivered conflicting outcomes on major ATF rules in 2025 \u2014 outcomes that illustrate the regulatory volatility at the heart of this debate.<\/p>\n<p id=\"4ab5\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph of og je oh b oi oj ok ol om on oo op ha oq or os hd ot ou ov hg ow ox oy oz ic bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">In March, the Supreme Court ruled 7\u20132 in<a class=\"ah ia\" href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/opinions\/24pdf\/23-852_c07d.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">\u00a0<em class=\"ps\">Bondi v. VanDerStok<\/em><\/a>\u00a0that the ATF\u2019s \u201cframe or receiver\u201d rule \u2014 which extended regulatory requirements to certain weapon parts kits and partially complete frames \u2014 is \u201cnot facially inconsistent\u201d with the Gun Control Act. Writing for the majority, Justice Gorsuch held that the statute\u2019s text reaches some weapon parts kits and unfinished frames. The decision affirmed ATF\u2019s authority to define what constitutes a \u201cfirearm\u201d and represented a significant validation of the agency\u2019s regulatory infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p id=\"bc5e\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph of og je oh b oi oj ok ol om on oo op ha oq or os hd ot ou ov hg ow ox oy oz ic bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Four months later, however, the Department of Justice<a class=\"ah ia\" href=\"https:\/\/www.firearmspolicy.org\/mock\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">\u00a0dismissed its appeal<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0<em class=\"ps\">Mock v. Bondi<\/em>, leaving the ATF\u2019s 2023 pistol brace rule permanently vacated. The rule, which had classified many brace-equipped pistols as short-barreled rifles under the National Firearms Act, is now unenforceable nationwide. Federal courts had found the rule arbitrary and capricious, and the Trump administration elected not to defend it.<\/p>\n<p id=\"3129\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph of og je oh b oi oj ok ol om on oo op ha oq or os hd ot ou ov hg ow ox oy oz ic bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">The juxtaposition is striking: ATF prevailed decisively on ghost guns but lost definitively on stabilizing braces. This volatility reinforces a central observation from my paper \u2014 relying on agency interpretation provides unstable ground for either side of the debate.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"3aad\" class=\"qc qd je bg qe qf qg qh gx qi qj qk gz ql qm qn qo qp qq qr qs qt qu qv qw qx bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Legislative Activity<\/h2>\n<p id=\"84b2\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph of og je oh b oi qy ok ol om qz oo op ha ra or os hd rb ou ov hg rc ox oy oz ic bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">In January 2025, Congressman Michael Cloud and Senator Jim Risch<a class=\"ah ia\" href=\"https:\/\/cloud.house.gov\/posts\/release-rep-cloud-and-sen-risch-introduce-bill-to-block-federal-gun-registry\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">\u00a0reintroduced the No REGISTRY Rights Act<\/a>, with 47 House co-sponsors and nine Senate supporters. The bill would require the ATF to delete all existing firearm transaction records, allow FFLs to destroy records when closing their businesses rather than transferring them to the ATF, and prohibit any federal agency from maintaining a firearms registry.<\/p>\n<p class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph of og je oh b oi qy ok ol om qz oo op ha ra or os hd rb ou ov hg rc ox oy oz ic bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">In a separate but related development, legislation eliminating the $200 NFA tax on suppressors and certain short-barreled firearms<a class=\"ah ia\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fastbound.com\/atf-changes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">\u00a0was included in major tax legislation<\/a>\u00a0signed on July 4, 2025. While registration requirements remain, this represents the most significant rollback of NFA restrictions in decades.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"af87\" class=\"qc qd je bg qe qf qg qh gx qi qj qk gz ql qm qn qo qp qq qr qs qt qu qv qw qx bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">New Concerns: AI and Biometric Integration<\/h2>\n<p id=\"2ced\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph of og je oh b oi qy ok ol om qz oo op ha ra or os hd rb ou ov hg rc ox oy oz ic bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Two developments have added new dimensions to the debate since the original paper was written.<\/p>\n<p id=\"e284\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph of og je oh b oi oj ok ol om on oo op ha oq or os hd ot ou ov hg ow ox oy oz ic bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">In March 2025, Chairman Andy Biggs<a class=\"ah ia\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoland.com\/2025\/03\/atf-facial-recognition-scandal-deepens-chairman-biggs-demands-records-as-gun-owners-sound-the-alarm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">\u00a0demanded ATF records<\/a>\u00a0after revelations that the agency used Clearview AI facial recognition technology during the investigation of the Butler assassination attempt \u2014 despite previous claims that the program had been discontinued. Gun Owners of America has argued that facial recognition capabilities, combined with digitized firearms records, could create \u201ca national gun registry by another name.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"6166\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph of og je oh b oi oj ok ol om on oo op ha oq or os hd ot ou ov hg ow ox oy oz ic bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">More broadly, reporting in<a class=\"ah ia\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoland.com\/2025\/08\/atfs-secret-illegal-gun-registry-just-got-more-dangerous-federal-government-ai\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">\u00a0August 2025<\/a>\u00a0raised questions about the potential application of federal AI initiatives to the ATF\u2019s digitized holdings. White House officials have confirmed plans to ingest government data into AI models for various citizen services \u2014 raising questions about whether digitized ATF records could be incorporated into such systems, further enhancing their searchability. While no specific integration has been announced, the policy debate has begun to incorporate questions about algorithmic analysis of firearms data that were largely absent from earlier discussions.<\/p>\n<p id=\"d8a5\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph of og je oh b oi oj ok ol om on oo op ha oq or os hd ot ou ov hg ow ox oy oz ic bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">These developments make the legal and policy questions I analyzed more urgent, not less. The fundamental issues remain unresolved.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"07b7\" class=\"qc qd je bg qe qf qg qh gx qi qj qk gz ql qm qn qo qp qq qr qs qt qu qv qw qx bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">The Legal Landscape<\/h2>\n<p id=\"91df\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph of og je oh b oi qy ok ol om qz oo op ha ra or os hd rb ou ov hg rc ox oy oz ic bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Federal law sends mixed signals. The Firearm Owners\u2019 Protection Act of 1986 explicitly prohibits the establishment of \u201cany system of registration of firearms, firearms owners, or firearms transactions.\u201d The Brady Act requires that the National Instant Criminal Background Check System not operate as a registry. Congress has repeatedly attached riders to appropriations bills blocking the consolidation of dealer records.<\/p>\n<p id=\"02b4\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph of og je oh b oi oj ok ol om on oo op ha oq or os hd ot ou ov hg ow ox oy oz ic bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Yet the same legal framework requires the ATF to trace crime guns \u2014 a task that becomes nearly impossible without accessible records. The Gun Control Act mandates that out-of-business dealers transfer their records to the ATF. A 1996 GAO report concluded that the ATF\u2019s then-existing microfilm system didn\u2019t violate the registry prohibition because it wasn\u2019t comprehensive or easily searchable.<\/p>\n<p id=\"704a\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph of og je oh b oi oj ok ol om on oo op ha oq or os hd ot ou ov hg ow ox oy oz ic bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">But that was before digitization at scale. And as the\u00a0<em class=\"ps\">VanDerStok<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<em class=\"ps\">Mock<\/em>\u00a0decisions demonstrate, courts are willing to scrutinize ATF\u2019s regulatory interpretations \u2014 but outcomes remain unpredictable.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"a74f\" class=\"qc qd je bg qe qf qg qh gx qi qj qk gz ql qm qn qo qp qq qr qs qt qu qv qw qx bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Two Legitimate Perspectives<\/h2>\n<p id=\"06d8\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph of og je oh b oi qy ok ol om qz oo op ha ra or os hd rb ou ov hg rc ox oy oz ic bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">In my research, I tried to take seriously the strongest arguments on both sides.<\/p>\n<p id=\"6d72\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph of og je oh b oi oj ok ol om on oo op ha oq or os hd ot ou ov hg ow ox oy oz ic bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><strong class=\"oh jf\">The case for digitization<\/strong>\u00a0rests on practical necessity. The ATF traces hundreds of thousands of firearms annually. In urgent cases \u2014 mass shootings, homicides \u2014 speed matters. Paper records stored in warehouses don\u2019t serve law enforcement well. Digitization, proponents argue, simply modernizes compliance with existing statutory duties without creating a true registry, since the records remain decentralized and aren\u2019t consolidated into a single searchable database of gun owners. The Supreme Court\u2019s\u00a0<em class=\"ps\">VanDerStok<\/em>\u00a0decision, upholding ATF\u2019s authority to define regulatory categories, suggests courts may defer to the agency on operational decisions about how it maintains records.<\/p>\n<p id=\"486f\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph of og je oh b oi oj ok ol om on oo op ha oq or os hd ot ou ov hg ow ox oy oz ic bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><strong class=\"oh jf\">The case against<\/strong>\u00a0centers on function over form. Critics argue that the statutory prohibition on a registry should be read purposively: if digitized records can be searched to identify gun owners and their firearms, that\u2019s a registry regardless of what you call it. They point to the 2016 GAO report finding that the ATF had violated appropriations restrictions in handling certain record systems. They raise Fourth Amendment concerns about indefinite retention of transaction data and warn of a chilling effect on lawful gun ownership. The emergence of AI capabilities and facial recognition technology adds new urgency to these concerns \u2014 the same database that exists for tracing could, critics warn, be repurposed for surveillance or confiscation.<\/p>\n<p id=\"6deb\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph of og je oh b oi oj ok ol om on oo op ha oq or os hd ot ou ov hg ow ox oy oz ic bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Both sides can point to case law supporting their position, though no court has directly addressed the digitization question at time of writing. In\u00a0<em class=\"ps\">NRA v. Reno<\/em>\u00a0(2000), the D.C. Circuit upheld temporary retention of background check data for audit purposes, finding it didn\u2019t create a registry. But that case involved a six-month retention period and explicit audit purposes \u2014 not the indefinite digitization of comprehensive transaction records.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"fb3c\" class=\"qc qd je bg qe qf qg qh gx qi qj qk gz ql qm qn qo qp qq qr qs qt qu qv qw qx bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">What Would a Registry Actually Look Like?<\/h2>\n<p id=\"3304\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph of og je oh b oi qy ok ol om qz oo op ha ra or os hd rb ou ov hg rc ox oy oz ic bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Part of my research involved examining what gun registries look like in practice \u2014 both in U.S. states that maintain them (California, Hawaii, New York, and others) and in countries with national systems (Australia, Canada, Germany, and elsewhere).<\/p>\n<p id=\"29ba\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph of og je oh b oi oj ok ol om on oo op ha oq or os hd ot ou ov hg ow ox oy oz ic bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Common characteristics include: a centralized database, detailed owner and firearm information, comprehensive transaction records, legal compliance requirements with penalties, and sometimes additional verification measures like fingerprints.<\/p>\n<p id=\"4ca9\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph of og je oh b oi oj ok ol om on oo op ha oq or os hd ot ou ov hg ow ox oy oz ic bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">The ATF\u2019s current system doesn\u2019t check all these boxes. Records aren\u2019t truly centralized in a single searchable database. There\u2019s no requirement for gun owners to affirmatively register. But critics argue that the trajectory points toward something functionally equivalent \u2014 particularly as digitization continues, retention requirements expand, and new technologies like AI and facial recognition enhance the government\u2019s ability to cross-reference and search existing data.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"93d2\" class=\"qc qd je bg qe qf qg qh gx qi qj qk gz ql qm qn qo qp qq qr qs qt qu qv qw qx bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Where This Stands Now<\/h2>\n<p id=\"c0b8\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph of og je oh b oi qy ok ol om qz oo op ha ra or os hd rb ou ov hg rc ox oy oz ic bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">The Trump administration\u2019s review may lead to policy changes regarding the Biden-era record retention rule \u2014 the DOGE proposal to restore the 20-year destruction window would be significant if enacted. The No REGISTRY Rights Act could gain traction in the current Congress. But absent legislation that actually passes or court rulings directly addressing digitization, the nearly one billion records already in the ATF\u2019s system aren\u2019t going anywhere.<\/p>\n<p id=\"a0e5\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph of og je oh b oi oj ok ol om on oo op ha oq or os hd ot ou ov hg ow ox oy oz ic bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">I\u2019ll note that my 2024 research has been cited by several firearms publications including\u00a0<a class=\"ah ia\" href=\"https:\/\/bearingarms.com\/tomknighton\/2025\/05\/13\/atfs-digitization-effort-is-gun-registration-in-drag-n1228574\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">Bearing Arms<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a class=\"ah ia\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoland.com\/2025\/05\/atfs-push-to-digitize-billion-private-records-national-gun-registy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">Ammoland<\/a>, typically in support of arguments against the ATF\u2019s digitization efforts. I\u2019ve tried to maintain an even-handed approach in my analysis, presenting the strongest versions of both positions rather than advocating for a particular resolution.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"56eb\" class=\"qc qd je bg qe qf qg qh gx qi qj qk gz ql qm qn qo qp qq qr qs qt qu qv qw qx bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">The Takeaway<\/h2>\n<p id=\"1bd5\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph of og je oh b oi qy ok ol om qz oo op ha ra or os hd rb ou ov hg rc ox oy oz ic bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">This isn\u2019t a debate with obvious heroes and villains. Law enforcement has legitimate needs for efficient firearms tracing. Gun owners have legitimate concerns about government surveillance of constitutionally protected activity. The statutory framework tries to balance both \u2014 but that framework was written before digitization made comprehensive record-keeping trivially easy, and before AI made pattern recognition across massive datasets routine.<\/p>\n<p id=\"a796\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph of og je oh b oi oj ok ol om on oo op ha oq or os hd ot ou ov hg ow ox oy oz ic bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">What\u2019s needed is honest engagement with the tradeoffs rather than reflexive accusations of bad faith. My 2024 paper doesn\u2019t advocate for a particular resolution. It tries to lay out the legal landscape, the arguments, and the stakes clearly enough that readers can form their own views. I still believe that is the right approach.<\/p>\n<p id=\"093a\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph of og je oh b oi oj ok ol om on oo op ha oq or os hd ot ou ov hg ow ox oy oz ic bl\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">The full working paper, including detailed case law analysis and an appendix of relevant precedents, is available through the<a class=\"ah ia\" href=\"https:\/\/firearmsresearchcenter.org\/working_papers\/the-debate-over-the-atf-digitizing-gun-sales-records-from-out-of-business-firearms-dealers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">\u00a0University of Wyoming Firearms Research Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ac ci iv pt pu pv\" role=\"separator\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The ATF\u2019s Quiet Digital Transformation \u2014 And Why It Matters \ufeff Here\u2019s something most Americans don\u2019t know: when a federally licensed firearms dealer goes out of business, they\u2019re required to send their transaction records to the ATF. These records \u2014 Form 4473s documenting every gun sale \u2014 end up at the National Tracing Center in &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=113834\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,87],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-113834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bureaucraps","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113834","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=113834"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113834\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":113835,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113834\/revisions\/113835"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=113834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=113834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=113834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}