Weekly Spotlight 6/9/23 – 6/15/23
Congressional Repeal of ATF Pistol Brace Rule to Receive Floor Vote!
Big news out of Washington, as the USCCA-FSL recently learned that Rep. Andrew Clyde (GA-09)’s Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to repeal a rule governing common firearm accessories could receive a floor vote as early as next week. CRA resolutions are a method Congress uses to review federal regulations issued by executive branch agencies, often to ultimately overturn them. Despite recent news that Rep. Clyde’s CRA might be blocked by House leadership due to his opposing vote on a debt ceiling deal, it’s looking like this important resolution will get a full House vote after all.
Rep. Clyde’s resolution would prevent the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) from enforcing its new rule that requires owners of pistol stabilizing braces to either register or destroy the commonly-used accessory… or face criminal penalties. The rule, “Factoring Criteria for Firearms with Attached ‘Stabilizing Braces,” reclassifies pistols with attached stabilizing braces as short-barreled rifles, impacting millions of firearms and gun owners – many of whom are disabled veterans and seniors who use the braces to shoot safely.
The pistol brace rule took effect on June 1, and only a small fraction of the estimated number of Americans who own pistol braces appeared to have registered them. This should not be surprising considering the fact that the vast majority of responsible gun owners with pistol braces understand that this is extreme federal overreach. Through its rulemaking process, the ATF has subverted Congress to impose an unconstitutional regulation impacting millions of responsible gun owners.
Despite many hurdles for the ATF in the federal court system, which have placed guardrails on the rule’s enforcement for certain plaintiffs, the Bureau has continued to defend the rule and in all likelihood plans on enforcing it. Millions of law-abiding gun owners who have never committed a crime in their life could now be in the federal government’s crosshairs.
That’s why it’s so important for Congress to pass Rep. Clyde’s important CRA that would rein in the ATF’s overreach. All freedom-loving Americans should be concerned with a federal agency assuming the role of the lawmakers we elected. The CRA will restore Congress’ proper authority and protect the law-abiding gun owners who have pistol braces from unwarranted criminal prosecution.
The USCCA for Saving Lives has made it easy to voice your support for this CRA. If you want to see the ATF’s rule repealed, click the link below!
Send a letter to your Congressman telling them to vote YES on the CRA!
OTHER NEWS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
- Washington Examiner: Biden’s plan to ‘do something’ on guns is unserious
Op-Ed from USCCA-FSL Senior Advisor Katie Pointer Baney
In a recent op-ed published in USA Today, President Joe Biden sought to assure the public that he’s taking real steps to prevent more deaths at the hands of violent criminals with guns . The piece accompanied what Biden calls “meaningful executive action,” which included an executive order released earlier this month that will do nothing but set the federal bureaucracy’s sights on law-abiding Americans and responsible gun owners. The president’s words, and the gun control policies pushed by his allies in Congress, do not represent a serious plan to protect innocent lives or make American communities safer. When you put their proposals under the slightest bit of scrutiny, they don’t hold water. What you’re left with are chants and expressions that may move people’s emotions, but won’t actually protect innocent people at the mall or children in their classrooms. Perhaps that’s why a recent poll found that approval of the president’s gun policy hit an all-time low of 31%.
- The Truth About Guns: May Adjusted Background Checks – AKA Gun Sales – Up 3.2% Over 2022 at 1.2 Million
Ho hum. Another month, another million-plus guns sold to an increasing number of Americans who are deciding to exercise their right to keep and bear arms. At this new post-Covid surge level of gun sales, which looks to be stable, the guns that are sold every month aren’t going only to existing gun owners (as the gun control droogs used to tell themselves). More people are deciding to become gun owners for the first time. And some of that is likely due to the fact that in over half the states in the nation now, you no longer need government permission to carry a firearm.
- The Center Square: New Montana law bans firearm sales tracking by financial institutions
A new Montana law bans financial institutions from treating firearm purchases different than general merchandise purchases. “A financial institution may not require a firearms retailer in this state to use a firearms code that is different from that of a general transaction,” Senate Bill 359 reads. The 2nd Amendment Financial Privacy Act was passed by the Legislature in April and signed into law by Gov. Greg Gianforte last month. A trade group for the firearm industry applauded Gianforte for signing the bill into law and “fulfilling his duties and responsibilities to protect the Second Amendment rights of Montanans against ‘woke’ activists intent on creating a back-door gun registry through the use of this special [Merchant Category Code].”
In less than a month, Floridians will no longer need a permit or training to carry a concealed weapon. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the state’s permitless carry bill into law in April. Supporters of the bill argue it aligns state law with the Second Amendment, while critics fear the changes will lead to more violent crime. Come July 1, you’ll no longer need to complete concealed carry training, obtain a permit, or pass a background check by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to carry a concealed weapon. However, the new law will still require a less-detailed background check and a three-day waiting period between the purchase and delivery of a gun.