Obama administration now requiring gun buyers to declare race, ethnicity

Obama administration now requiring gun buyers to declare race, ethnicity
(Image credit: Jason Zielinski/Getty Images)

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in 2012 quietly amended its Form 4473 to force gun buyers to identify as either Indian, Asian, black, Pacific Islander, or white.

The Washington Times reports that according to legal experts, requiring gun buyers to identify their race and ethnicity "is not required by federal law and provides little law enforcement value." Furthermore, gun industry officials worry about whether asking for the extra information creates "the risk of privacy intrusions and racial profiling."

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Teresa Mull