A coalition of over 6,000 U.S. military veterans have issued a letter to Congress demanding action to overturn a new Biden administration rule outlawing a common gun accessory popular with disabled Americans, including veterans.
Gun Owners of America organized the letter to Congressional leadership, signed by 6,721 servicemen and veterans, urging the legislative repeal of Biden's new ban on pistol braces.
{RELATED: House Votes To Buck New ATF Pistol Brace Rule}
Pistol braces, which make it easier to handle a pistol by bracing it against the arm, were first designed to allow disabled American veterans in shooting firearms without assistance.
Under the new rule, handguns fitted with pistol braces are now classified as “short-barreled” rifles or shotguns, which are illegal under federal law. While there are an estimated 40 million pistol braces in use across the United States, they are not generally used by criminals and are mostly used by disabled gun owners.
Americans who own a pistol brace must now either turn them in for confiscation or pay an exorbitant tax and have the device registered.
{RELATED: ATF Attacks Gun Owners' Pocketbooks with Pistol Brace Ban}
“In addition, the National Defense Committee, a veteran's service organization focusing on veterans' civil rights, led another letter that was also addressed to Congressional leadership demanding similar action. This letter was signed by over a dozen different veteran service organizations,” GOA notes.
Majority Leader Scalise and Representative Andrew Clyde, sponsor of H.J. Res. 44 which protects pistol braces, have announced the House of Representatives will vote on whether to let Biden's ban stand.
“GOA is incredibly supportive of this effort by Majority Leader Scalise to vote on Rep. Clyde's bill to block the draconian Biden Pistol Brace Rule,” said Erich Pratt, Senior Vice President of Gun Owners of America.
“ATF far exceeded their authority with this rulemaking, and it's critical that Congress send this message to the president and the Courts. Otherwise, Biden's ATF will continue to weaponize the outdated National Firearms Act to arbitrarily change definitions and attack supporters of the Second Amendment,” said Pratt.
“ATF previously approved pistol braces, which were invented as a plastic accessory to help wounded combat veterans utilize self-defense firearms. But this rogue agency is now backtracking and criminalizing millions of Americans in the process,” said Dick Anthony Heller, U.S. Army, Airborne, E-4, a signer of the grassroots veteran letter, and the lead plaintiff in the landmark D.C. v. Heller case.
“Unless you are a GOA member like me who is protected by a federal court injunction, individuals caught with an unregistered braced firearm after June 1st can face felony charges carrying a maximum of ten years in prison. This is an abuse of power, grossly infringes on the Second Amendment, and the entire rule must be blocked by Congress to protect every pistol brace owner immediately,” said Heller.
“189 Members of the House, led by Representatives Clyde and Hudson, are holding the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to account for their unconstitutionally arbitrary and capricious gun-grab of the very firearms disabled veterans use to safely and securely operate those guns,” said Bob Carey, CAPT, USN (Ret), and Executive Director of the National Defense Committee.
“National Defense Committee salutes Representatives Clyde and Hudson for their leadership on H. J. Res. 44, and salute Leader Scalise for committing the House to vote on this important reclamation of Congress' legislative powers next week. National Defense Committee and the other supporting veteran organizations stand ready to assist these leaders in getting H.J. Res. 44 passed,” said Carey.
one step closer to the government taking our guns
FJB
Good.
Turn those 6,000 on biden.
As they say “COME AND TAKE IT”