U.S.A. — In a heated exchange during the House Judiciary Committee’s Oversight hearing of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on April 26th, Chairman Jim Jordan questioned ATF Director Steven Dettelbach on the upcoming deadline for pistol brace owners.
On May 31st, 2023, millions of American gun owners could potentially become felons for possessing pistol braces, a fact that Dettelbach acknowledged.
Jordan questioned Dettelbach on the impact that this rule change would have on millions of Americans.
Jim Jordan: “..so you told them [American Gun Owners] not once but twice that it was okay, and I’m just asking does it bother you now that [what] you are doing, that you’re making the change that’s going to impact millions of Americans?”
The ATF Director replied that the rule was necessary to address inconsistencies in the definition of pistol braces. He further explained that specific products get presented for classification, and these products sometimes change. Therefore, the rule change was necessary to ensure consistency.
Jordan then accused Dettelbach of contradicting what ATF had previously told American citizens, and now millions of law-abiding citizens will be impacted by this rule change. Dettelbach denied this accusation, stating that only specific products would be impacted, and those impacted individuals would have several options, including detaching the brace from the firearm and keeping both, attaching the brace to another firearm, removing or destroying the brace, getting a longer barrel, turning in or destroying the firearm, or registering the firearm.
Jordan then asked what would happen to those who do not take any of these actions and let the deadline expire.
Dettelbach replied that it would depend on the facts and circumstances of each case, and if a person were unaware, they would not be prosecuted, even though they were now breaking newly created rules. However, if they were aware, they could potentially become a felon.
Jordan also questioned how the ATF would enforce this rule and questioned Dettelbach whether ATF would inspect people at gun ranges or go to manufacturers and look for lists of people they sold braces to. Dettelbach mumbled something about ATF would consider it as one of the charges when doing a search warrant in a drug case and discovering an unlawful item.
Finally, Jordan asked if the Gun Control Act or the National Firearms Act clearly and unambiguously prohibits pistol braces. Dettelbach replied that it doesn’t prohibit anything and calls for increased controls on short-barreled rifles. Jordan cited a court decision this week in the Sixth Circuit, where the court ruled that the statute does not clearly and unambiguously prohibit bump stocks. In that ruling, the court also stated that for a decade, the ATF maintained that a bump stock was not a machine gun part, and the ATF’s own flip-flop on this position is one of the reasons why the court ruled in favor of those opposing the rule.
The exchange between Jordan and Dettelbach was intense.
The ATF’s flip-flopping on rules and Dettelbach’s inability to answer questions about the impact of the rule change on millions of Americans is a serious issue for American gun owners, whose only crime was following those same rules. The lack of accountability and poor decision-making by a rogue federal agency raises concerns about the risk of law-abiding citizens being turned into felons. The exchange was intense, with Jordan accusing Dettelbach of contradicting himself. At the same time, Dettelbach defended the Biden-ATF’s decision, stating that it was necessary to ensure consistency and address inconsistencies in the definition of pistol braces.
Thomas Conroy
Find the original article in its entirety at Ammoland.
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Apparently “shall not be infringed” is somehow open to interpretation. ??
Every day the left wingers come up with another way they want to control the population. What they are really doing is pushing us closer and closer to that second America Revolution that has been talked about for several years now. When it comes it will destroy this constitutional republic, and just might mean that the United States of America will cease to exist. Whether or not it could ever be united again is pretty much up in the air.
What Happens you ask ? Simple , the ‘fight’ has been on for many years – WE The People STAND For the Constitution AND OUR RIGHTS UNDER GOD . FEW see accommodations for the relative peace of More Faux Legislation that is nothong but a shell game to socialists & all their ilk . Enough is Enough by the Common Man’;s Measure , Read about the origins of Western Law ; derived from the olde English who had a trove of Rights documents from which to draw . I see there are 2 , mainly ; the history & settled peace of the Peasant’s Revolt and The Magna Charta ( to some extent . Interesting that OUR Republic has Maintained Our Law of The Land remarkably well , so it really irks me to get emails from Brits that chastise us for ‘ too many guns ‘ and ‘ all that Liberty stuff <<<<!!!! ???? I ask them to first fix their 'system' —and then get back to us .
Why can’t you say, “you aren’t elected so you don’t make the rules”
We Become a huge standing Army OK
So, the ATF has no authority to create what is essentially a new law restricting firearms. Their actions cost gun owners who purchased these then legal and approved accessories and will cost some gun owners much more in dollars and a reduced ability to effectively defend themselves and the ATF Director is neither concerned or accepting any responsibility for the consequences of their actions.
Sounds like a lot of things, but a “government of the people, by the people, [and] for the people” it is not!
Currently the victims of gun crimes are just a price that the socialist democrats see that must be paid if they are to realize their goal of total and complete domination over all American citizens. They know they must confiscate the American citizens guns to reach such a goal. The bump in their road is the second amendment which our founders put that amendment in place to allow citizens to ward off a tyrannical despotic government out to destroy our constitution and free enterprise economic system right along with our liberty. Which is exactly what is happening now. The increase in gun crimes is due to the democrats passing no bail laws and the releasing of criminals from our prisons. No matter what they may say that is the only reason such actions are taking place.
Barack Obama started what is happening to America today with his promise of a fundamental transformation. A transformation no one at the time asked for few if any understood and none would accept at least peacefully. But that made no difference to him or his supporters who cheered wildly when he made that announcement. At the time no one even suspected what exactly he had in mind because be never elaborated on his declaration. He also promised a federal police force just as well funded, trained and equipped as the US Military. As we can see he got the latter done by transforming our intelligence agencies into his brown shirts. Now he, through Joe Biden, is adding the IRS to that force. While we do nothing to combat this transformation into a socialist marxist system of government. A government that will certainly be tyrannical and despotic in nature. Every action Biden is taking at this very moment is aimed toward a destruction of our constitution and economic system. The very combination that made America both unique and exceptional.
There is little doubt, as much as I hate to say it, we will never right this ship as long as democrats dominate our political system. Can it be done through elections? Possibly. However if that is not possible because of fraud it may very well take violent push back to set the United States of America back to the point our founders set for us. However, the question then becomes can we get those who now see this take over good for the US back to desiring the right to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness as paramount for all Americans freedoms? If not the USA will surely cease to exist as a free and unfettered nation.
The US Government is out of Control! US Government needs to be overhauled. Arrest all the Communist anti US Constitution politicians and throw them in Prison for Sedition!
And for PERJURY (for violating their oath “to uphold and defend the Constitution”)!
Exactly!
They start by going after semi automatic weapons then it will be single shot then bb guns, then finally pea shooters.
cant even have sharp pointed knives in England now.
The ATF, FBI, CIA, ETA, IRS and all the other government departments need to be reeled in. Enforcing laws and regulations is one thing, but they never should have been allowed to just make stuff up. I don’t care which party is in control, the President shouldn’t be able to bypass Congress with executive orders either. We have a bloated federal government that is out of control.
Another federal agency that doesn’t know what’d really going on. Nothing new, in Bidens world!
The Democrats continue to do the work of the Chinese. They are determined to disarm the American citizens so the Chinese will have a much easier time of subduing our country when they invade. They are the most dangerous people in our country today. The enemy is truly within our borders.