WHEREAS, sixty percent of the guns used in crimes are traced back to just one percent of gun dealers; and

WHEREAS, eighty-five percent of gun dealers have never had a gun used in a crime traced back to them; and

WHEREAS, local governments and law enforcement have the responsibility to curb gun trafficking that jeopardizes the safety of their communities; and

WHEREAS, the ability of local governments and law enforcement to use trace data held by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is crucial to shutting off the supply of guns to criminals; and

WHEREAS, Congress has enacted restrictions that prevent local governments and law enforcement from using the trace data to its greatest effect, that prevent courts from compelling its disclosure and that prevent courts from hearing the data as evidence; and

WHEREAS, the Tiahrt Amendments, which have been inserted into the Department of Justice appropriations bill each year since FY 2003, place unnecessarily broad restrictions on access to and use of gun trace data that is compiled by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

WHEREAS, prior to the Tiahrt Amendments the ATF worked with local jurisdictions to analyze gun trafficking patterns and ATF prepared reports using crime gun tracing information which were extremely valuable to local law enforcement, and

WHEREAS, on April 25, 2006 a bipartisan group of fifteen Mayors met in New York City at the Mayor's Summit on Illegal Guns, cochaired by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Mayor Thomas M. Menino, to begin a nationwide effort to fight illegal guns, and

WHEREAS, today, over 226 Mayors, representing over 50 million people across the United States are now members of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, and

WHEREAS, 30,000 Americans across the country are killed every year as a result of gun violence, destroying families and communities in big cities and small towns, and

WHEREAS, as Mayors, we are duty-bound to do everything in our power to protect our residents, especially our children, from harm and there is no greater threat to public safety than the threat of illegal guns,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that The United States Conference of Mayors calls on Congress to reject legislative proposals such as the Tiahrt amendment and others, that limit our cities' ability to solve and prevent crime in our communities; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that local governments and law enforcement be given access to ATF gun trace data as such information is critical to successful investigation and reduction of violent crime in our cities; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the ATF should resume its publication of the Annual Crime Trace Reports that were last published in 2000 and which are extremely valuable to local governments and law enforcement in their efforts to combat illegal guns.