When there is one major piece of pending legislation, we can set our alerts, hunker down into reading and analysis, and communicate our position.  Splinter into smaller pieces of legislation and fan out the budget requests, and everything becomes a challenge.  Enter the next wave of potential changes from the Hill and the Oval Office amidst everything from targeted appropriations to non-binding resolutions. Among the points of conversation is a push to require a two-year deadline for all newly-manufactured handguns to use smart technology.  The “Handgun Trigger Safety Act of 2014” also includes a retrofitting requirement for sellers of handguns with such costs to be paid by the federal government.  Another component of the bill would direct the Consumer Product Safety Commission to establish federal standards for the personalized handguns. This was the most recent podium appearance by a Member of Congress since passage of House Resolution 468 in January 2014 to express gun violence as a public health issue. Stay tuned also for more action from the White House.  The Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, which was established by the White House in 2012, remains an operative entity.  Also still pending and seeing the occasional update are the 23 Presidential Action Items issued January 2014.  The most recent action on the directives is the proposed rule to amend HIPAA by the Department of Health & Human Services, relating to reporting to the ATF for the NICS database of persons disqualified from firearms transactions and ownership due to a mental health adjudication or who has been committed to a mental institution pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §922(g)(4). President Obama last year lifted restrictions on federal gun violence research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the CDC in its FY2014 request to Congress sought $23 million for the National Violent Death Reporting System (an increase of $20 million above the FY2012 level).  Since 2010, there has also been an upsurge in Congressional funding pursuant to the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 to encourage and increase state reporting of federal disqualifying information through federal grants exceeding (at least in the case of NY) $10 million. As a follower of all things that could potentially impact FFLs, this is no time to be sitting back because you’re not seeing the kind of federal legislation headlines that dominated last year’s legislative session.  This is without question a time to expand your research skills and pull out your hi-power sights to help you read the fine print. Orchid Advisors provides electronic newsletter (“Advisory and Alert”) and blogs for general informational purposes only. It should not be considered a formal or informal interpretation of law. It is not intended as professional counsel, should not be considered legal advice and should not be used as such.