NRA Up In Arms Over ATF Rule Impacting Gun Sales

(LibertySociety.com) – The National Rifle Association (NRA) released a scathing statement on December 12 in response to a new rule proposed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) back in August. The new rule would redefine what it means to be a gun dealer to include anyone who “sells or offers for sale firearms,” which the NRA said was unconstitutional.

NRA official Randy Kozuch said that the rule could result in everyday Americans being criminalized for selling a firearm, adding that it is “just another attempt to demolish our Second Amendment rights.” Kozuch also said that the rule would only confuse individuals who commonly buy and sell firearms for various reasons.

The NRA previously released a statement about the ATF’s unrealistic belief that it could manage issuing Federal Firearms Licenses to every individual that it deemed to be a dealer if the rule was to go into effect. The statement also said that the ATF was simply trying to discourage entities that facilitate firearms sales from being involved, such as internet providers or groups that host gun shows. Kozuch also said that the Biden administration could be successful in fighting crime if it would go after the real criminals and enforce laws already on the books. Montana’s Republican Attorney General Austin Knudsen and 24 other Republican AGs sent a letter to the ATF on December 7, publicly blasting the agency for the unconstitutionality of the rule.

As with any rule proposed by government agencies, the ATF rule was open for public comment between September 9 and December 7. It garnered over 350,000 responses, some of which appeared to be the same copy-and-paste comment in support of the rule. The Epoch Times news outlet contacted the agency in charge of accepting or denying comments to see if the repetitive comments would be allowed to count.

Just last month, a U.S. District Court judge blocked the ATF from banning AR-15-style pistols with arm braces attached, dealing a blow to the Biden administration.