"Today's vote by the House Appropriations Committee is a profound disappointment. It shows that Congress is out of step with the bi-partisan coalition of Mayors, Police Chiefs, and other Americans from all over the country that united behind a common sense issue. As happens too often in Washington, common sense didn't carry the day - special interests did. While I was hopeful that the Congressional committee would stand up to the special interests, at least this measure was given public consideration and was debated for several hours instead of being inserted into an appropriations bill in the dead of night. But we are not letting Congress off the hook. Until our police officers have access to the data they need to fight illegal guns and their trafficking networks, we will continue our efforts against this singularly foolish restriction."