A Good Reason To Restrict Trace Data A New York Times editorial today bemoans that Congress is considering making permanent a restriction on releasing federal gun trace information to the public and news media. All the editorial writer had to do was notice how New York City and its mayor, Michael Bloomberg, misused such data to launch a "sting" operation against gun dealers, hiring private eyes to attempt illegal straw purchases. As it turned out, the publicity stunt interfered with a number of criminal investigations, quite possibly putting law enforcement at risk. This is exactly the type of ill-considered use of trace data that Congress is concerned about and why it currently restricts the data to law enforcement use only, something the Fraternal Order of Police agree with, as does Bloomberg’s own police commissioner Ray Kelly.