Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) is proposing a bill aimed at protecting Federal Firearms License holders (FFLs) from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ aggressive “zero tolerance” policy regarding firearms.
The ATF’s “zero tolerance” policy has been widely used to shut down FFLs over simple clerical errors.
On February 14, 2024, the National Shooting Sports Foundation cautioned that the “zero tolerance” policy has had “devastating effects on small businesses and the ability for law-abiding citizens to exercise their Second Amendment rights by freely approaching a firearm retailer for a purchase.”
Breitbart News reported that following Biden’s inauguration, the White House released a fact sheet indicating that Biden would make increased oversight of FFLs part of his response to surging crime.
However, Senator Ernst aims to establish a barrier between Biden’s ATF and FFLs, as well as between the ATF and gun owners overall.
She said:
Biden’s ATF has had it out for gun owners since day one. For years, the Biden administration has cracked down on law-abiding gun dealers to advance its gun-grabbing agenda, even preventing small businesses from making a living. Rather than helping dealers comply with the law, Biden’s ATF has created more hurdles to legally sell guns, so it can turn around and revoke licenses for inconsequential so-called ‘violations.’
Ernst’s proposed legislation, known as the Fighting Irrational Regulatory Enforcement to Avert Retailers’ Misfortune (FIREARM) Act, is also being presented in the House by Representative Darrell Issa (R-CA).
Issa said:
From the beginning, this Administration has sought to undermine the Second Amendment and weaponize federal agencies against law-abiding citizens and family-owned small businesses targeted for being a part of the lawful firearms industry. This has delivered a transparently unfair assault on the fundamental rights of our fellow Americans, and that’s why my friend Senator Ernst and I are introducing the FIREARM Act. It’s time to stop this abuse of power and prevent it from ever happening again.
Biden’s ATF has been utilized to enforce various gun regulations that Congress declined to pass. One example is the “partially complete pistol frames” regulation, where the ATF redefined specific gun components, labeling them as “firearms.”
The intention behind the reclassification was to require Americans to undergo background checks when buying gun parts kits.
The ATF took a comparable step concerning AR-pistol stabilizer braces, asserting that a pistol equipped with a stabilizer brace is effectively considered a short barrel rifle.
Today, the United States Supreme Court is hearing a challenge to the ATF’s bump stock ban, where the agency redefined bump stocks as machine guns.
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