Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
According to the federal website Regulations.gov, more than 44,000 people have already submitted public comments on the proposed rule by the Department of Justice and the ATF that would result in a backdoor gun ban of millions of lawfully-owned firearms, and now more than 100 Republican House members are weighing in as well.
North Carolina congressman Richard Hudson is the primary author of a new letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and acting ATF Director Marvin Richardson calling on the agencies to withdraw the proposed rule, arguing that if the “alarming guidance” is allowed to take effect, law-abiding gun owners (including disabled veterans) will be turned into criminals with the stroke of a pen.
“This proposed guidance is alarming and jeopardizes the rights of law-abiding gun owners and disabled combat veterans across the country,” the letter said. “Should this guidance go into effect, a disabled combat veteran who has chosen the best stabilizing brace for their disability is now a felon unless they turn in or destroy the firearm, destroy the brace, or pay a $200 tax. Furthermore, it could make millions of law-abiding citizens felons overnight.”
The opposition to the ATF’s new proposal has been able to bridge at least some of the divide within the GOP, with both Rep. Liz Cheney and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene among the 140 signatories objecting to the plans by the Biden administration to turn millions of legally-possessed pistols into short barreled rifles that require registration with the federal and the payment of hundreds of dollars for each item affected by the proposed rule.
We are disturbed a government agency would issue guidance that would tax and take away ability of tens of millions of Americans, including disabled veterans to enjoy constitutionally protected rights. In fact, the ATF seems committed to attacking the constitutionally protected rights of all-law abiding citizens.
It’s a good letter that makes some solid points. I just wish more members of Congress had signed on. There are plenty of Democrats out there who talk about wanting to end “mass incarceration,” but not a single one added their name to this letter, despite the fact that millions of Americans could face up to ten years in a federal prison if convicted of possessing a pistol that the ATF suddenly decided is a short-barreled rifle. Not even Cori Bush, who just introduced legislation to decriminalize possession of any and every drug, was willing to sign on to Hudson’s appeal to the Attorney General. Democrats may want to end the War on Drugs, but they apparently want to replace it with a War on Guns instead.
I don’t have much confidence that the letter from GOP representatives will make a difference with the Department of Justice or the ATF, but I’m still glad to see these members of Congress using their voice to express their opposition to the Biden backdoor gun grab. You can do the same by submitting your public comment right here.
You can also read the proposal in its entirety and sample a few of the comments that have already been received here. I spent a good half hour browsing the comments and failed to find a single submission in support of the proposed rule change. Instead, every comment I’ve read has been squarely opposed to the ATF’s proposal. I’m sure there are a few adulatory comments from gun control activists praising the DOJ for its idea buried in the submissions, but I’ve yet to see one. The overwhelming public opposition might not matter to the Biden administration either, but that’s no excuse to remain silent while the gun ban crowd gets to work.
https://bearingarms.com/camedwards/2021/06/15/congress-reject-backdoor-gun-ban-n46569