Washington, D.C. (April 11, 2022) — FPC has released the following statement regarding President Biden’s new ban on self-built firearms and nomination of Steven Dettelbach, former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF):

Today, President Biden continued his siege on the Second Amendment by announcing gun-control regulations targeting self-manufactured arms and confirming his intention to nominate Steven Dettelbach, an Everytown for Gun Safety-endorsed, anti-Second Amendment zealot to lead the ATF. 

Biden’s proposed rule to eliminate so-called “ghost guns” would create an entirely new class of highly regulated items by redefining the term “firearm” to include a host of parts, and collections of parts ATF now considers “readily” convertible into functional firearms. This move calls into question the legality of an unknowable number of parts and kits purchased by peaceable people for decades.

The rule, which raises serious concerns about executive overreach and separation of powers, is yet another assault by the Biden administration on the rights and liberties of everyday gun owners. FPC condemns in the strongest terms this attack on the American tradition of home gunmaking and any effort to disarm or criminalize peaceable people.

Far from “clarifying” anything, the rulemaking tortures simple terms from law into multi-part definitions, with newly injected sub-terms like “readily” having their own lengthy definitions. This is clearly an attempt to sidestep Congress, as Biden even indicated in his remarks today. 

The FPC legal team is evaluating the final rule for litigation options and will be seeking plaintiffs in the near future.

FPC also unequivocally opposes Biden’s nomination of Steven Dettelbach to lead the ATF. Dettelbach has led a career marked by proposals of radical gun-control measures, including semiautomatic firearm bans, the absurd expansion of mythical “gun-free zones,” and universal background checks. Dettelbach’s support comes from anti-rights organizations, and his nomination is nothing short of a stealth attempt by the Biden Administration to appoint someone with the same radical values as David Chipman, but without the extensive public paper trail.

Individuals who wish to help overturn the Biden administration’s abusive overreach of executive power and help defeat Dettelbach’s nomination can visit StopATF.org and join the FPC Grassroots Army at JoinFPC.org. 

About FPC

Firearms Policy Coalition (firearmspolicy.org), a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization, exists to create a world of maximal human liberty, defend constitutional rights, advance individual liberty, and restore freedom. FPC’s efforts are focused on the Right to Keep and Bear Arms and adjacent issues including freedom of speech, due process, unlawful searches and seizures, separation of powers, asset forfeitures, privacy, encryption, and limited government. The FPC team are next-generation advocates working to achieve the Organization’s strategic objectives through litigation, research, scholarly publications, amicus briefing, legislative and regulatory action, grassroots activism, education, outreach, and other programs. FPC Law (FPCLaw.org) is the nation’s largest public interest legal team focused on the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and the leader in the Second Amendment litigation and research space.

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