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BATFE, Firearm Importation & Federal Firearm Law Reform

Among its duties, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) monitors firearm manufacturers, importers and dealers for compliance with record-keeping requirements; conducts traces on the commercial paths of individual firearms at the request of law enforcement agencies; interprets firearm importation law; and administers transfers of firearms regulated by the National Firearm Act of 1934.

The BATFE was used by the Clinton administration to reduce the number of firearm dealers, and by the administrations of presidents G. H. W. Bush and Clinton to restrict “assault weapons” by misinterpreting firearm importation law. The agency’s tracing data, sometimes useful in identifying persons involved in illegally trafficking firearms, have been mischaracterized by gun control supporters in the context of their campaigns against “Saturday Night Specials” and “assault weapons,” and in favor of making state gun laws more restrictive.

BATFE has been widely criticized for its role in the “Ruby Ridge” and “Waco” tragedies, and Operation Fast and Furious, in which the agency knowingly allowed firearms to be bought by straw purchasers and other traffickers, and thereafter smuggled from the United States to Mexico, where they made their way to violent drug cartels.

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NRA Files Suit Against ATF and DOJ Over “Pistol Brace Rule,” Defends Members Against Draconian Measure

News  

Second Amendment  

Monday, July 3, 2023

NRA Files Suit Against ATF and DOJ Over “Pistol Brace Rule,” Defends Members Against Draconian Measure

The National Rifle Association of America (“NRA”) today announced it filed a lawsuit against the Bureau of Alcohol, ...

BREAKING NEWS: NRA Slaps Biden Admin With Lawsuit Over ‘Unlawful' Pistol Brace Rule

News  

Monday, July 3, 2023

BREAKING NEWS: NRA Slaps Biden Admin With Lawsuit Over ‘Unlawful' Pistol Brace Rule

The National Rifle Association of America slapped the ATF with another lawsuit over a rule that regulates stabilizing ...

NRA Files Papers in Legal Challenge to ATF “Pistol Brace Rule,” Defends Members Against ‘Arbitrary Attack’

News  

Second Amendment  

Wednesday, June 7, 2023

NRA Files Papers in Legal Challenge to ATF “Pistol Brace Rule,” Defends Members Against ‘Arbitrary Attack’

The National Rifle Association of America (“NRA”) today announced it is intervening in a pending case to protect ...

Biden ATF Director Supports “Assault Weapons” Ban, (Still) Can’t Explain What that Means

News  

Monday, May 1, 2023

Biden ATF Director Supports “Assault Weapons” Ban, (Still) Can’t Explain What that Means

Steven Dettelbach – Joe Biden’s appointment to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) – ...

U.S. House Judiciary Committee Advances Pistol Brace Resolution

News  

Monday, April 24, 2023

U.S. House Judiciary Committee Advances Pistol Brace Resolution

On April 19, the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee voted 23-15 to advance H.J.Res.44, which would reign in ...

NRA Challenges ATF Brace Rule

News  

Second Amendment  

Thursday, February 9, 2023

NRA Challenges ATF Brace Rule

The National Rifle Association announced the filing of an NRA-backed and supported lawsuit challenging the Bureau of Alcohol, ...

Updates to ATF Final Rule on Stabilizing Braces

News  

Monday, January 30, 2023

Updates to ATF Final Rule on Stabilizing Braces

On Monday, January 30, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ (ATF) published the final Factoring Criteria for ...

If the CPSC Would Ban Gas Stoves, Imagine How it Would Treat Guns

News  

Monday, January 23, 2023

If the CPSC Would Ban Gas Stoves, Imagine How it Would Treat Guns

The Consumer Product Safety Commission, the federal agency dedicated to saving the world from lawn darts and toy magnets, has been ...

ATF Posts “Final” Rule on Stabilizing Braces

News  

Tuesday, January 17, 2023

ATF Posts “Final” Rule on Stabilizing Braces

On Friday, January, 13, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) posted the “final” Factoring Criteria for Firearms ...

Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Invalidates ATF Bump-Stock Rule—Holds that Congress, Not ATF, Declares What the Law Is.

News  

Monday, January 9, 2023

Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Invalidates ATF Bump-Stock Rule—Holds that Congress, Not ATF, Declares What the Law Is.

On Friday, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, sitting en banc, invalidated the ATF’s Rule classifying bump stocks ...

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NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.