The article says... "At issue for gun owners is a provision that would allow the FBI to obtain "firearms sales records." The bill extends Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act ".
So I quoted the relevant parts of 215 so any non-sheep can think rationally about it.
Do you have a cite from the bill on this supposed use of NSLs?
Sure, section 505 of the PA lets the FBI use NSLs to get financial information simply by declaring they want it in relation to an investigation. As amended by section 374 of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004, it redefines financial institution to mean anyone you do business with. A long list of eligible businesses are given, including car dealers and the Post Office, but with an allowance for the government to include anything it wishes under the definition of "financial institution."