Two Congressional Republicans have introduced a bill to address what many lawmakers see as the potential for discrimination in the form required for purchasing a firearm from a licensed dealer. In 2012, Form 4473, which all perspective gun owners are required by law to fill out, was revised to include two questions about race and ethnicity. One asks whether a person is Hispanic or Latino, and another asks whether the applicant is White, Black, Asian, American Indian or Hawaiian.
The Freedom from Intrusive Regulatory Enforcement of Arbitrary Registration Mandates (FIREARM) Act, which was introduced by Reps. Diane Black and Ted Poe, would eliminate both questions from the form. Proponents of the bill claim that the questions are an unnecessary violation of privacy and could introduce a racial bias in who is allowed to purchase a firearm.
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