Twin Falls Gun Shops, Police at Odds Over Alleged ‘Gun Registration’ Program. By Greg Pruett (Idaho Dispatch, 08/14/24)

idahodispatch.com/twin-falls-gun-shops-…

*Note: The linked article provides considerable depth and names the gun shop owners involved. This summary omits the details for brevity.

Gun shops in Twin Falls allege that the Twin Falls Police Department (TFPD) is maintaining a form of “gun registration” over the shops' second-hand purchases of firearms and that TFPD is trying to force the shops into an online program under the threat of law, allegedly telling them to comply or face misdemeanor charges.

Federal law already requires gun shops to maintain a list of every firearm that is sold to or by the shop, along with the buyer’s and seller’s personal information. ATF requires shops to maintain an “Acquisition and Disposition Log” with every customer’s personal information. The log is maintained offline, customer personal information is protected, and personal information is only disclosed in the event of an active investigation.

Following a rare case involving stolen firearms, TFPD now expects gun shops to use LeadsOnline, an online program police claim will help them do investigations more quickly. LeadsOnline is privately held and backed by global private equity firm TA Associates.

One gun shop owner is concerned about police collection of personal information through LeadsOnline, which he said is a violation of the 4th Amendment (constitution.congress.gov/constitution/…).

The gun shop owners also say they would use LeadsOnline if it did not require personal customer information. Furthermore, they would turn over customer information if a firearm was reported stolen. However, the shop owners stated that the government did not need information on ALL customers who sold them firearms and that the transactions would remain private.

While the gun shop owners want to keep firearms away from criminals, the requirement for customers’ personal information was a “red line” they were not willing to cross.

Sen. Glenneda Zuiderveld responded:

“When my constituents who own gun shops reached out to me about the issue of a third-party gun registry implemented by local law enforcement agencies, I recognized it as a backdoor infringement on our Second Amendment rights at the local level. This is exactly how we begin to lose our freedoms. I have contacted Attorney General Labrador’s office to clarify Idaho’s definition of gun registration.”

• See also: Is There A Gun Registration Program In Idaho? By Nichols For Idaho (Tammy Nichols) (08/15/24): nicholsforidaho.substack.com/p/is-there…