Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), joined Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), and 19 Republican Senate colleagues in a letter to the Attorney General and the Acting Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) expressing concern over the ATF’s use of secret internal guidance to enforce regulations that are not openly published. This secret guidance has been used to justify the seizure of property and could troublingly be used to prosecute Americans and businesses.
“We write to express our grave concern over the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ (ATF) continued pattern of enforcing secret guidance. This secret guidance was brought to our attention by those who have received recent threatening letters where the ATF makes blanket threats based on the recipient allegedly purchasing and possessing various firearms accessories, none of which are illegal based on any statute or regulation,” wrote the members.
“We find the ATF’s attempt to conceal its interpretations of the law disturbing. In a free society, ‘Every citizen is presumed to know the law.’ Thus, as the Supreme Court has said, ‘it needs no argument to show that all should have free access’ to [the law’s] contents,” continued the members.
“With this attempted secret regulation, the ATF shows an abject disregard for the fundamental principles of due process and accountable governance. Federal agencies cannot enforce the law in this manner,” concluded the members.
In addition to Senators Cramer and Lee, the letter is signed by Senators Jim Risch (R-ID), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Rick Scott (R-FL), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Mike Braun (R-IN), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), James Lankford (R-OK), John Boozman (R-AR), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), John Hoeven (R-ND), John Barrasso (R-WY), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ben Sasse (R-NE), Tim Scott (R-SC), and Ted Cruz (R-TX).
Click here to read the letter.