Senate Republicans have joined their House colleagues in seeking to block a new Biden administration rule that targets arm-bracing devices used for firearms — although they stop short of wanting to abolish the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Last week, Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott joined Sen. Roger Marshall and several other GOP senators to introduce the Stop Harassing Owners of Rifles Today, or SHORT, Act.
As The Free Press reported last month, the ATF released a 291-page rule that would reclassify pistol-stabilizing braces into the same category as short-barreled rifles.
The National Firearms Act requires gun owners to register short-barreled rifles with the federal government.
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Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz responded with a bill to abolish the ATF.
The rule, said Gaetz, “unfairly punishes disabled gun owners and veterans who rely on stabilizing braces to be able to fire with one hand.”
During the public comment period, the ATF received more than 237,000 comments about the new rule. Only 8% were in favor of it.
In the Senate, Scott, and Marshall, do not seek action against the ATF specifically.
Instead, they and others filed a bill to end the “unconstitutional” taxation, registration, and regulation of short-barreled rifles, shotguns, and other weapons the feds want to lump into this group.
A press release from Scott’s office noted, “Senator Marshall’s bill is needed to push back against the Biden Administration’s attacks on millions of gun owners with his attempted ban on certain pistols through the ATF’s rule change.”
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“Using the NFA, the Biden Administration is pretending people who own pistols with stabilizing braces, in fact possess illegal short-barreled rifles. ATF is using this excuse to facilitate a ban, forcing gun owners to violate their rule or participate in an unconstitutional ‘Amnesty Registration of Pistol Brace weapons,’ in order to keep their own firearms.”
“The only way to protect gun owners from the Biden Administration and ensure the ATF does not enact this rule (or any future version of it) is by deregulating NFA firearms through the elimination of unconstitutional and unnecessary restrictions, taxation, and registration placed on NFA firearms in 1934.”
In a statement, Sen. Scott said, “I’m a proud supporter of our Constitution and the 2nd Amendment. Biden and the far left’s blatant attempt to push overreaching policies that infringe on the rights of law-abiding Americans is completely unacceptable. Our bill, the SHORT Act, stops the ATF’s ridiculous attempt to make criminals of law-abiding gun owners and protects the constitutional rights our nation was founded on.”
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