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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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Gun Controllers Collaborate with Unscrupulous Foreign Regime to Undermine U.S. Constitution

News  

Monday, August 9, 2021

Gun Controllers Collaborate with Unscrupulous Foreign Regime to Undermine U.S. Constitution

Anyone tempted to think the gun control lobby couldn’t sink any further into disreputable tactics should sit down ...

Townhall  

Friday, August 6, 2021

'Ask Him More Questions': Chuck Grassley Unloads on Democrats Covering for ATF Nominee

In Thursday morning's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to consider executive business, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) again raised concerns ...

Townhall  

Thursday, July 29, 2021

Some Troubling Allegations Surface About Biden's Gun-Grabbing ATF Nominee

Joe Biden’s gun-grabbing nominee to run the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives might have some serious ...

The Washington Times  

Monday, July 26, 2021

Senate must reject David Chipman, Biden’s anti-gun ATF nominee

Like many others from rural America, firearms are a part of my daily life. I am an avid ...

Townhall  

Friday, July 23, 2021

David Chipman and the ATF Will Disarm College Students

Leftist activists and the ATF have been gearing up in a dangerous and nefarious assault on the Second ...

Help Stop the Biggest Gun Grab in American History

News  

Tuesday, July 6, 2021

Help Stop the Biggest Gun Grab in American History

On June 7th, ATF published a new notice of proposed rulemaking on its website entitled Factoring Criteria for Firearms ...

Texas: Attorney General Paxton Opposes Latest DoJ/ATF Attack

Thursday, June 10, 2021

Texas: Attorney General Paxton Opposes Latest DoJ/ATF Attack

Yesterday, Attorney General Ken Paxton sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, ...

ATF Targets Pistol Stabilizing Braces in New Rulemaking

News  

Wednesday, June 9, 2021

ATF Targets Pistol Stabilizing Braces in New Rulemaking

On June 7th, ATF published a new notice of proposed rulemaking on its website...

Comments on ATF’s New “Frame or Receiver” Rule Now Open

News  

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Comments on ATF’s New “Frame or Receiver” Rule Now Open

That publication triggered the opening of the proposed rule to public comments. The comment period will remain open until ...

New York Times Throws ATF Pity Party

News  

Monday, May 10, 2021

New York Times Throws ATF Pity Party

The publication of a lengthy New York Times or Washington Post opinion piece disguised as news that commiserates about the purportedly beleaguered ...

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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.