Frank Lautenberg: “I rise to introduce the Preserving Records of Terrorist and Criminal Transactions, or PROTECT Act of 2008. I am proud to…”

“I rise to introduce the Preserving Records of Terrorist and Criminal Transactions, or PROTECT Act of 2008. I am proud to be joined by cosponsors Senators Feinstein, Levin, Lieberman, Menendez, Reed, Schumer, and Whitehouse. In 1994, we passed the Brady Law, which requires criminal background checks for all guns sold by licensed firearm dealers. In the 14 years since it was enacted, the Brady law has prevented more than 1.5 million felons and other dangerous individuals from buying guns. I am proud to say that more than 150,000 of those denials have been to convicted domestic abusers because of a law I wrote in 1996. Every time a Brady background check is conducted, the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System--or NICS--creates an audit log. The audit log includes information about the purchaser, the weapon, and the seller. The information could be extremely valuable to the FBI. The agency could use it to help determine whether gun dealers are complying with the background check requirements, to help law enforcement fight crime by figuring out whether a criminal has been able to buy a gun, or even to help prevent terrorist attacks. Yet, despite this information's value in fighting crime and terrorism, the FBI destroys the background check data. In most cases, the audit log is destroyed within 24 hours after the sale is allowed to go through.”