48 Senators Call on the ATF to Rescind Pistol Brace Ban Rule
Jose Nino
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According to a press release that Gun Owners of America disseminated on June 24, 2021, 48 senators sent a letter to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) calling on the government agency to discard its Proposed Rule to prohibit stabilizing pistol braces. According to the Congressional Research Service, this proposed rule change could potentially impact 40,000,000 firearms and turn millions of otherwise lawful gun owners into felons.
The letter reads, “ATF seems to believe that re-characterizing millions of pistols as SBRs is no big deal because the agency kindly offers gun owners what it deems to be plenty of means of complying. … Missing from ATF’s reasoning, of course, is that, even in its own very conservative estimate, ATF requires many months to process the registration forms for SBRs. Thus, gun owners will have to give up the use of their firearms for months while waiting for ATF to process their registration forms and tax payments.”
The letter ends by declaring that, “[The Proposed Rule] is plain wrong. [It] is worse than merely abdicating your responsibility to protect Americans from criminals; you’re threatening to turn law-abiding Americans into criminals by imposing the largest executive branch-initiated gun registration and confiscation program in American history. We urge you to turn back. Correct this mistake and withdraw the proposed rule.”
Aidan Johnston, GOA’s Director of Federal Affairs, remarked, “President Biden’s call for gun control is clearly out of touch with average Americans. He is trying to circumvent Congress to regulate gun parts, prepare a gun registry, and ban roughly 40,000,000 pistols. However, over half of the localities in the United States, including a dozen states, have declared themselves ‘Sanctuaries’ for the Second Amendment. Now it’s up to Second Amendment Sanctuaries to say ‘NO!’ to ATF’s new gun control. Gun owners around the country are grateful for such widespread support from the Senate in urging the ATF to withdraw its pistol ban.”
GOA has been a leader in the no compromise faction of the Second Amendment movement for decades. They and other organizations have led the way in shaping pro-Second Amendment discourse and are beginning to change the consensus within the Republican Party, which used to be milquetoast on the right to bear arms. With millions of Americans rushing to gun stores to stock up on firearms and ammunition ranging from 9mm ammo to 223 ammo, there’s a growing appreciation for gun rights across the nation.
This also comes during a year when gun owners are scoring Constitutional Carry victories in states ranging from Utah all the way to Tennessee. Americans are slowly revolting against the gun control status quo and even federal Republicans are beginning to pick up on this sentiment. Undoubtedly, organizations like GOA have played an indispensable role in bringing about this change in the political environment.
The press release can be read here.
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