The Hayride by Andy Hogue December 31st, 2020
America’s 700,000 owners of pistol braces received a gift from an unlikely source the day before Christmas Eve. However, the gift may be a Trojan horse we’re finding out closer to New Year’s Day.
On Dec. 23, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) announced it was withdrawing a notice and request for comments regarding stabilizing braces, titled “Objective Factors for Classifying Weapons with ‘Stabilizing Braces.’†These braces are devices that replace buttstocks and are designed and intended only for use as forearm supports to provide a more stable firearm platform. They are neither designed nor intended to be fired from the shoulder. This notice effectively affirms the subjective criteria ATF uses in determining whether a firearm is an NFA item or not (it is not a “new†directive, per se).
While the ending of public comments and withdrawal of the guidance seems like a victory, the issue is still pending the Department of Justice review, according to the ATF statement. It opens up the possibility of more aggressive action being taken by the incoming Biden administration.
Gun Control Trojan Horse
Most everyone agrees that the ATF is in trouble from their checkered past to the new regulations over accessories like bump stocks. However, the ATF might be Joe Biden’s best chance at having an impact on gun policy without involving Congress. He articulated plans to restructure the ATF and other Justice Department agencies to “most-effectively secure our gun laws,†adding plans to secure efficient funding for the Department of Justice to “effectively enforce our existing gun laws, increase the frequency of inspections of firearms dealers, and repeal riders that get in the way of that work.â€
While the ATF backing off braces, for now, might seem an apparent win, don’t celebrate too soon, this “Friday afternoon surprise†(released just before a holiday in this case) may have been a way to take the heat off the ATF as the picture becomes rosier for federal gun control efforts.
More:
https://thehayride.com/2020/12/atf-pistol-brace-ruling-may-be-trojan-horse-for-biden-administration/
