NSSF, the Firearm Industry Trade Association, was on hand at the Department of Justice (DOJ) to welcome Acting U.S. Attorney General (AG) Todd Blanche’s signing ceremony that released a landmark rulemaking package from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
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The release of the new rulemaking package is the result of months of NSSF working closely with the ATF and DOJ to identify and fix punitive regulations published during the Biden administration, when the ATF was used as a political weapon to force policies intended to hobble the firearm industry and infringe on Second Amendment rights. The package also addresses several inefficient and burdensome regulations that increased compliance costs for the industry, but which did not aid ATF in achieving its primary mission of combating violent crime.
The signing of the rulemaking package was held less than an hour after Robert Cekada was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in a bipartisan vote to serve as ATF Director. Director Cekada is the first ATF director to be confirmed after being nominated by a Republican president.
“This is what ‘promises made, promises kept’ looks like. President Donald Trump made it clear that his administration would respect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens and would end the unfair targeting of the firearm industry through a special-interest antigun policy agenda,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President & General Counsel, who was on hand for Acting AG Blanche’s signing ceremony. “This is more than turning the page on the weaponization of government against a lawful industry that provides the means for citizens to exercise their Second Amendment rights. This is the dawning of a new era. NSSF is tremendously grateful to President Trump, Acting Attorney General Blanche, and Director Cekada for their fair application of the law and true respect for Second Amendment rights.”
Acting AG Blanche signed the rulemaking package that included 34 policy changes that will significantly change how the DOJ and ATF protect Second Amendment rights and regulate the firearm industry. Those policy changes are the result of the review of policies directed by President Trump when he published his Protecting Second Amendment Rights Executive Order.
The rulemaking changes are comprised of priorities NSSF has long championed including, recissions of the ATF’s “Engaged in the Business,” bump stock and stabilizing pistol brace final rules, changes to ATF record retentions that have no law enforcement utility, providing a clearer definition of what constitutes a “willful” violation of the Gun Control Act (GCA) and an illegal straw purchase of a firearm and elimination of the requirement to notify the chief law enforcement officer for purchases of items regulated by the National Firearms Act (NFA).
About NSSF: NSSF is the trade association for the firearm industry. Its mission is to promote, protect, and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations, and publishers nationwide. For more information, visit nssf.org.
SAF Welcomes
Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) Executive Director Adam Kraut was on hand for the announcement of 34 proposed and final rules announced today during a press conference and signing by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and newly confirmed ATF Director Robert Cekada.
At the ceremony, Blanche signed final rules, including the rescission of the “stabilizing brace” and “engaged in the business” rules, and provided summary insights into proposed rules, including updates to Form 4473 for the commercial transfer of firearms, clarifying interstate transportation of firearms under the Gun Control Act, and recordkeeping requirements for Federal Firearms Licensees.
“It was refreshing to hear Acting Attorney General Blanche state that the Second Amendment will no longer be treated as a second-class right under the current administration,” Kraut said. “The formal rescission of the pistol brace rule – one that SAF fought hard in court – is a solid start. We are encouraged by the information the DOJ and ATF have provided regarding the proposed new rules and look forward to reading them in full.”
The 34 proposed rules are broken down into five groups on the ATF website – Repeal, Modernize, Reduce Burden, Clarify and Align. The full proposed rules are expected to be placed on the Federal Register for public comment in the coming days.
“We are encouraged by this afternoon’s developments and are hopeful the ATF’s new proposed rules are responsive to concerns raised by SAF and the gun rights community,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “For far too long, ATF rules were a creeping fog of regulatory malarky, seemingly intended to create confusion for the gun community and chill the exercise of their rights. Today’s announcement shows that the current administration intends to help clear that fog. We are hopeful this new batch of rules does just that.”
For more information, visit SAF.org.
The Second Amendment Foundation (saf.org) is the nation’s oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing, and legal action group dedicated to safeguarding and promoting the fundamental rights of individuals enshrined in the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. SAF engages in aggressive legal action to ensure the principles of armed self-defense, personal liberty, and the ownership of arms are defended, secured, and restored. Through public education initiatives, SAF teaches the importance of the Second Amendment to promote a society that values and exercises the right to keep and bear arms.
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