Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) of the House Judiciary Committee have requested that the director and employees of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) testify regarding the agency’s firearms policies.
“The ATF’s lack of transparency comes after the agency issued a final rule banning stabilizing pistol braces, and as the agency continues to shut down lawful businesses through the ‘zero-tolerance’ policy for federal firearms dealers (FFLs),” the lawmakers wrote.
“This ruling raises serious doubts about ATF’s ability to regulate pistol braces absent a clear mandate from Congress,” they noted.
The hearing, the congressmen added, would provide the Judiciary Committee with an opportunity to hear directly from Dettelbach about the reasoning that led to ATF’s implementation of the “controversial policies.”
Other ATF employees that the congressmen requested testimony from include chief of staff Daniel Board, acting assistant director of public and government affairs Justin O’Connell, and deputy assistant director Megan Bennett.
In a March 7 statement provided to The Epoch Times, ATF deputy chief of public affairs Erik Longnecker noted: “ATF received the letter in question today. Just a little over a week ago, ATF provided Chairman Jordan with detailed responses to questions he asked about rule-making along with more than 81,000 pages of documents responsive to his request.
“We look forward to continuing productive and cooperative exchanges with Congress regarding ATF’s mission to protect the public from violent crime.”
Holding that the rule marks a reversal of longstanding ATF policy and violates the National Firearms Act and the Gun Control Act, the states requested that the court declare the rule unlawful and enjoin ATF from enforcing it.
“Let’s call this what it is: an effort to undermine Americans’ Second Amendment rights,” said West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, who is leading the coalition.
“This is an egregious final rule turning millions of common firearms accessories into ‘short barreled rifles.’ This is a completely nonsensical regulation.
“This is part of the continued attack by the Biden administration against lawful gun owners,” Morrisey added.