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There is nothing the National Rifle Association's lobbying arm won't say or do to protect manufacturers and dealers of guns recovered at crime scenes. In fact, it hasn't had to say much as red-meat Republicans and weak-kneed Democrats flock to aid its cynical cause.

Nothing illustrates this more than what has come to be known as the Tiahrt Amendment — and the shameless debate about it in the U.S. House of Representatives last week.

Some members of the House Appropriations Committee (mainly Democrats representing urban areas) sought to reverse the Tiahrt amendment — an NRA-backed measure introduced by Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Kan., in 2003.

The amendment greatly restricts federal law enforcement agencies' ability to share information about guns recovered in criminal investigations. Before its passage, federal gun data had been used by researchers at top universities studying violent crime. It also shined an unflattering light on the gun industry.

Indeed, nearly 60 percent of guns used in crimes have been shown to originate from 1 percent of the nation's licensed gun dealers.

When cities filed lawsuits against manufacturers and dealers, alleging they knew or should have known their guns were being used in criminal enterprises, the NRA swooped in.

It called the federal data base a threat to ordinary citizens' privacy and constitutional right to bear arms. The lobbying group also claimed that making the data public somehow undermined the safety of undercover police officers. It even enlisted the aid of a national police organization.

The reality is that police chiefs across the nation (including in Cincinnati, Cleveland and Toledo) have been lobbying for reversal of the Tiahrt amendment. They dispute every point made by the NRA, and argue that gun data can be released in ways that protect lawful gun owners' privacy, prevent disclosure of sensitive law enforcement information and still render the data useful in reining in rogue gun dealers.

Local law enforcement agencies may use gun-trace data when related to specific cases under investigation. But they can't share the data with other agencies except in limited circumstances. And they can't look at the bigger picture so they can understand who's selling large quantities of weapons used to commit crimes.

The House debate last week was a charade. Politicians from both parties eagerly mouthed the NRA's talking points. Committee Chairman David Obey, D-Wisc., talked tough about advocates from both sides, suggesting that they act "like adults rather than thugs." Then he voted against opening up the data.

Even politicians with steady reputations — including Rep. David Hobson, R-Springfield, and John Murtha, D-Pa. — quietly kowtowed to the gun lobby.

It was pathetic. The majority of members used a phoney case to curry favor and avoid attack by the NRA. They put their political convenience ahead of public safety.

Cox News Service