A new proposal from the Biden administration’s new ATF proposal was harshly criticized by the National Rifle Association (NRA), which asserts that it could “unjustly criminalize” the sale of firearms among Americans and cause serious confusion for law-abiding gun owners involved in firearm transactions.
“The Biden ATF’s proposed rule, ATF2022R-17, is just another attempt to demolish our Second Amendment rights, with the potential to unjustly criminalize everyday Americans for engaging in lawful firearm transactions,” NRA-ILA Executive Director Randy Kozuch said in a recent interview.
“This rule blatantly disregards the recent NRA-backed Bruen ruling on the Second Amendment. It also creates serious confusion among lawful gun owners who buy and sell firearms legally for various purposes, from collecting to self-defense.” he continued.
Kozuch’s response pertained to ATF proposal ATF2022R-17, known as “Definition of ‘Engaged in the Business’ as a Dealer in Firearms,” which aimed to amend agency regulations and integrate provisions from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, a presidentially signed gun control legislation enacted in 2022.
The proposal aims to broaden the scope of the term “dealer” to include individuals engaged in the sale, offer for sale, representation to prospective purchasers, or other indications of their capacity and readiness to buy and sell additional firearms.
As per the NRA, the proposal would subsequently cause gun owners to become perplexed regarding which firearm transactions would necessitate a federal firearms license.
In June 2022, following ratification by the House and Senate, Vice President Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act into law.
Gun-control activists hailed this legislation as the most consequential concerning firearms in almost three decades. States were motivated to enforce red flag laws and broaden background checks for individuals aged 18 to 21 as a result of this legislation.
“If the Biden administration were truly committed to combating crime, they would focus on enforcing existing laws and reform their soft-on-crime policies, targeting actual criminals instead of law-abiding American gun owners,” Kozuch said in response.
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