When you purchase a handgun, you must first fill out a permit to purchase, which asks for all the pertinent information, such as where you live, why you need the gun, etc. This is essentially the same information that registering a handgun would provide. I thought Brady Bill clearance was not supposed to be used as a database for information on either the gun or the purchaser. Stupid me!!
Did not Ashcroft however imperfect he is, specifically ask the courts to enforce the letter of Brady Bill legislation which says this is only for purchase approval and not to create a database?
Anybody who doesn't think that de-facto gun registration exists is a dreamer. But yes, I think Ashcroft was pushing for the destruction of the Brady file info as called for by the law.