By Lauren Boebert – June 14, 2023
The House of Representatives passed H.J.Res.44, legislation cosponsored by Congresswomen Boebert, to protect millions of gun owners by nullifying the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF’s) unconstitutional pistol brace ban rule.
Congresswomen Lauren Boebert (CO-03) stated, “ATF wants to make the owners of nearly 40 million firearms with stabilizing braces felons overnight. It defies commonsense that the same unelected bureaucrats who gave away thousands of firearms to members of the Mexican cartels are trying to tell lawful American firearm owners that they can’t carry a pistol with a stabilizing brace without it being classified as a short-barrel rifle and receiving absurd penalties. Veterans that rely on pistol braces to responsibly shoot at the range shouldn’t receive jail time, be fined $250,000, and be issued a felony charge for simply having a stabilizing brace on their lawfully purchased firearm. The U.S. Senate needs to immediately follow the House’s lead and block this unconstitutional gun grab that Congress never authorized.”
| Background:The House of Representatives passed H.J.Res.44, legislation cosponsored by Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, to protect millions of gun owners by nullifying the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF’s) unconstitutional pistol brace ban rule with a recorded vote of 219-210. On January 31, 2023, the ATF published their final rule 2021R-08F, “Factoring Criteria for Firearms with Attached Stabilizing Braces. “This unconstitutional rule is a blatant attack on the Second Amendment. If this ATF rule is left in place, within 120 days, an estimated 40 million firearms will need to be registered, destroyed, turned in, or rebuilt or their lawful owner will face up to 10 years in federal prison, become a felon, and receive a fine of $250,000 fine for having a stabilizing brace on their lawfully-purchased firearm. This is not the first unconstitutional overreach by the ATF. In the last five years, the ATF has changed its long-standing positions on firearm products three times through administrative fiat due to political pressure. These changes have resulted in products that were previously classified as lawful by the ATF, now being considered illegal or regulated under the National Firearms Act. You can find the full H.J. Res 44 text here. |
| Lauren Boebert is a Colorado Congresswoman |
