Source: United States Senator for South Dakota Mike Rounds
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and their Republican colleagues introduced a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to prevent the Biden administration’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) from enforcing an anti-Second Amendment pistol brace rule.
“The ATF’s latest rule is nothing more than a harassment of law-abiding citizens exercising their Second Amendment rights – plain and simple,” said Rounds. “The ATF is attempting to trap law-abiding gun owners on felony charges for failing to re-register an already registered pistol with a stabilizing brace as a rifle. Currently, most rifles are not subject to registration under the National Firearms Act (NFA). By adding ‘stabilizing braces’ to the existing factoring criteria under the NFA, rifle and pistol owners with stabilizing braces will be required to register these firearms with the federal government or face criminal penalties. As a supporter of the Second Amendment, I oppose any effort to restrict the rights of law-abiding gun owners.”
“Millions of law-abiding Americans use pistol braces, and many of those Americans rely on braces because they are disabled,” said Kennedy. “If Congress doesn’t correct the ATF’s misguided rule, countless law-abiding gunowners in Louisiana and other states will become criminals in the blink of an eye. The Biden administration’s assault on the Second Amendment isn’t going to stop unless we defend this fundamental liberty.”
“The Biden administration’s war on every American’s fundamental right to bear arms is relentless and an offense to our founders,” said Marshall. “Congress must use every tool at its disposal to stop the Biden ATF from enacting this unconstitutional gun grab and creating its newly proposed anti-2nd Amendment gun registry. The Congressional Review Act is one of those important tools and I’m pleased to co-lead this effort with Senator Kennedy.”
The rule, titled Factoring Criteria for Firearms with Attached Stabilizing Braces, would reclassify pistols as short-barreled rifles if they have a stabilizing brace attachment, even though many disabled veterans and other Americans rely on these braces to use their firearms. Under this rule, otherwise lawful gun owners could face up to 10 years in jail and thousands of dollars in fines if they fail to register pistols with stabilizing braces with the ATF. If gun owners do not register their firearms, they would have to destroy the firearm, surrender their firearm to the ATF or remove the brace in such a way that it cannot be reattached.
In addition to the CRA resolution, Rounds, Kennedy and Marshall reintroduced the Stop Harassing Owners of Rifles Today (SHORT) Act. This legislation would also fight back against the ATF’s ruling to require the registration of rifles with stabilizing braces that brings this administration one step closer to a national gun registry.
The SHORT Act is endorsed by the National Rifle Association and Gun Owners of America.
Representative Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) introduced the resolution in the House of Representatives. Clyde is also leading the SHORT Act in the House.
Click HERE for full text of the CRA resolution.
Click HERE for full bill text of the SHORT Act.
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