ATF goes rogue once again

Once again, gun owners, manufacturers, and dealers are subject to the whims of the anti-gun bureaucrats who run the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).

(Article by Alan Rice republished from GunOwners.org)

The latest outrage is that they have reclassified Q, LLC’s Honey Badger Pistol as a Short Barrel Rifle (SBR) subject to regulation under the provisions of the National Firearms Act (NFA) including a $200 transfer tax.

Years after approving pistol braces and determining that a brace does not make a pistol into an SBR, rumors started to swirl that ATF was planning to reclassify these particular pistols into SBRs. But shortly after the rumors began, the National Shooting Sports Foundation claimed that they were in contact with ATF and that pistol braces were not being reviewed.

ATF’s new interpretation regarding the Q, LLC Honey Badger Pistol has created uncertainty for all gun owners, manufacturers and dealers. Click here to read the ATF letter to Q, LLC and click here to read Q’s response. This is a relatively simple issue that ATF has complicated.

GOA has had a copy of Gifford’s diabolical plan to outlaw not only pistol braces, but .50 caliber ammunition, certain handguns, and the Mossberg Shockwave for close to two years. Click here and go to page 7 for their false claims about pistol braces.

This is not a coincidence. One of Giffords’ advisors is David Chipman, who they tout as a retired ATF Special Agent. It is entirely plausible that Giffords has quietly worked to convince ATF to take a second look at pistol braces as well as many other previously approved firearms accessories.

Pistol braces have been a source of confusion for ATF for several years. In this letter, ATF said that if a shooter used a brace as a stock, then the firearm would become an SBR. They later retreated from that position. This is but one of the many reasons why GOA is pushing to repeal not just part of but all of the NFA.

The sad reality is that if Congress would do its job and pass legislation such as H.R. 5289, The Home Defense and Competitive Shooting Act, firearms owners would no longer be forced to figure out barrel length or determine if their firearm had a brace or a butt stock. Despite its lengthy name, H.R. 5289 will change federal law and allow SBRs to be bought and sold just like any other rifle. In short, H.R. 5289 removes SBRs from the provisions of the NFA.

The modern reality is that companies like Q, LLC sell tens of thousands of “pistol brace” equipped firearms because of the bureaucratic maze required to own an SBR. American citizens should not be forced to wait as long as nine months, be photographed, fingerprinted and taxed to purchase an SBR.

Or alternatively, they should not be forced to figure out what barrel, brace and receiver combination will make their newly assembled firearm a pistol (and not a rifle) and thus be excluded from the provisions of the NFA.

Here is what you need to do today. Scroll up to contact President Trump and let him know that you are counting on him to put a stop to this new ATF overreach and order them to reinstate the Honey Badger Pistol’s status as a pistol equipped with a brace. Then, contact your member of Congress and insist that they cosponsor H.R. 5289.

If Congress does not act to deregulate SBRs, gun owners will be forced to live in fear that that their handgun will be called an SBR or their Mossberg Shockwave could one day be reclassified as a short barrel shotgun.

Read more at: GunOwners.org