Republicans attempt to scrap ATF's new pistol brace rule

By 
 February 1, 2023

Earlier this month, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that many pistols equipped with stabilizing braces are being reclassified as short-barreled rifles under the National Firearms Act.

The change will impose onerous new requirements on firearm owners, and a group of Republican lawmakers have responded with an attempt to scrap it. 

Congressional Review Act resolution proposed

Fox News reported on Tuesday that Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy and Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall plan to introduce a Congressional Review Act resolution once the rule change is officially reported to Congress.

The resolution need only pass with a majority vote in Congress and will immediately nullify the pistol brace rule if it is approved.

"Millions of law-abiding Americans use pistol braces, and many of those Americans rely on braces because they are disabled," Kennedy told Fox News.

"If Congress doesn’t correct the ATF’s misguided rule, countless law-abiding gun owners in Louisiana and other states will become criminals in the blink of an eye," the conservative lawmaker continued.

Marshall says Biden gun policy is an offense to our founders

"The Biden administration’s assault on the Second Amendment isn’t going to stop unless we defend this fundamental liberty," he concluded.

Marshall offered a similar perspective, saying, "The Biden administration’s war on every American’s fundamental right to bear arms is relentless and an offense to our founders."

"Congress must use every tool at its disposal to stop the Biden ATF from enacting this unconstitutional gun grab and creating its newly proposed anti-2nd Amendment gun registry," the Kansas senator insisted, adding that he is "pleased to co-lead this effort with Sen. Kennedy."

Meanwhile, Fox News noted that Georgia Republican Rep. Andrew Clyde plans to introduce a House version of the resolution.

Gun owners face up to 10 years in prison

"The ATF's unconstitutional pistol brace rule reveals the agency's brazen disregard for our Constitution and Congress' sole legislative authority," Clyde told the network.

"Unelected anti-gun bureaucrats simply do not have the power to propel President Biden's goal of disarming our nation and dismantling our Second Amendment freedoms by registering and banning millions of firearms," he stressed.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) explains on its website that owners of brace-equipped pistols must either surrender or destroy their brace or firearm in an approved manner, register their firearm with the federal government, or convert their firearm into a long-barreled pistol.

Those who fail to comply with the rule's provisions will face up to 10 years behind bars and a fine of up to $10,000.

" A free people [claim] their rights, as derived from the laws of nature."
Thomas Jefferson
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