Rule of Construction
Nothing in amendment made by [Pub. L. 117–159] to be construed to allow the establishment of a Federal system of registration of firearms, firearms owners, or firearms transactions or dispositions, see [section 12004(k) of Pub. L. 117–159], set out as a note under section 922 of Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure.
Findings and Declaration of Purposes
[Pub. L. 112–205, § 2], Dec. 7, 2012, [126 Stat. 1487], provided that: “Congress finds the following:“(1)
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) overriding mission is to lead a unified national effort to protect the United States. United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the largest investigative agency within DHS and is charged with enforcing a wide array of laws, including laws related to securing the border and combating criminal smuggling.
“(2)
Mexico’s northern border with the United States has experienced a dramatic surge in border crime and violence in recent years due to intense competition between Mexican drug cartels and criminal smuggling organizations that employ predatory tactics to realize their profits.
“(3)
Law enforcement agencies at the United States northern border also face challenges from transnational smuggling organizations.
“(4)
In response, DHS has partnered with Federal, State, local, tribal, and foreign law enforcement counterparts to create the Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST) initiative as a comprehensive approach to addressing border security threats. These multi-agency teams are designed to increase information-sharing and collaboration among the participating law enforcement agencies.
“(5)
BEST teams incorporate personnel from ICE, United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATFE), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Coast Guard (USCG), and the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO), along with other key Federal, State and local law enforcement agencies.
“(6)
Foreign law enforcement agencies participating in BEST include Mexico’s Secretaria de Seguridad Publica (SSP), the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).”