Republicans in the House are warning that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are planning on laying the groundwork for a backdoor federal gun registry. Republican Representative Michael Cloud of Texas along with 51 other Republicans expressed their concern towards the proposed rule by the agency. Cloud and his colleagues say that the current ATF plan could lead to a backdoor gun registry
Previous proposed rule removes the 20-year burn date, requiring the preservation of firearm purchase records older than two decades. “The Biden administration is yet again ignoring the real threats against America and instead using political leverage to encroach on the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens,” Representative Cloud said in a statement. “This proposed rule would be a giant leap toward a federal firearm registry, which is explicitly banned by law” Cloud continued saying, “Requiring federal firearm licensees to preserve records older than 20 years will enable the Biden administration to collect more information on law-abiding gun owners, all with the purpose of eventually having a registry of every gun owner in the United States.
Gun Owners of America Director of Federal Affairs Aidan Johnston wrote a statement to Fox News about the new rules for gun records, “If the Biden administration continues with its planned changes, ATF’s registry eventually will include 100% of firearm transactions – sucking up every record since 2001,” Johnston said. Johnston continued saying, “These plans for a national registry violate federal law, infringe on the Second Amendment, and put law-abiding gun owners on the path to total gun confiscation.”
In their letter to Biden, Cloud and other Republicans say they “are concerned” about the possibility that the Biden admin could be on it’s way to creating a federal gun registry. They also pointed out that the Firearms Owners’ Protection Act prohibits the ATF from creating a central database. The ATF has been a part of the government that has not done what its policies are supposed to do. The letter highlighted a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that was titled “ATF Did Not Always Comply with the Appropriations Act Restriction and Should Better Adhere to Its Policies.” The letter also said, “It is critical that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives does not use its power to encroach on the privacy of gun owners and restrict their Second Amendment rights”. If the ATF’s plan were to pass, it would be a massive violation of our rights and set a very dangerous precedent when it comes to gun rights.
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