The Biden administration announced new rules against handgun stabilization braces used in mass shootings, sparking outrage from the GOP and NRA.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives (ATF) filed new rules on Friday that require guns with a stabilizing brace to be treated like short-barreled rifles and require owners To for a federal license.
Owners have 120 days to apply for the license or either remove the stabilizing strut from their guns or turn them over to the ATF.
The new law is part of President Joe Biden’s plan to crack down on gun violence and target the tools used in the mass shootings in Colorado in 2021 and Ohio in 2019.
However, the move has sparked anger among Second Amendment supporters, with the NRA saying, “The Biden administration has chosen to crush the Constitution today.”
“Joe Biden is an enemy of our Second Amendment,” the group added.
The Biden administration has issued a new regulation targeting handgun stabilization efforts, requiring owners To them with the government or get rid of them
The ATF said the tool (pictured) allows pistols to be converted into short-barreled rifles
The NRA blasted the ordinance, calling Joe Biden an “enemy of our Second Amendment.”
The debate over handgun stabilizing struts remains heated in the United States because the tool, originally developed to help disabled combat veterans enjoy recreational shooting, has been used for mass shootings.
In August 2019, Connor Betts had a gun on his gun when he killed nine people, including his own sister, in Dayton, Ohio.
The suspect was seen running with the modified .223 caliber rifle while wearing a bulletproof vest, mask and ear defenders as he gave chase to a crowd of terrified people.
Then, in March 2021, Ahmad Alissa had a stabilizer on his gun when he shot 10 people at the King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado.
Among Alissa’s victims was Officer Eric Talley, 51, a father of seven, who rushed to the scene when the shooting was reported.
During Friday’s gun reform announcement, US Attorney General Merrick Garland hailed the new regulation as a way to combat mass shootings by not allowing pistols to be converted into short-barreled rifles.
“Protecting our communities from gun violence is one of the department’s top priorities,” Garland said. “Nearly a century ago, Congress decreed that short-barreled rifles must be subject to increased requirements.
“Today’s rule makes it clear that firearm manufacturers, dealers and individuals cannot circumvent these vital public safety safeguards simply by attaching accessories to pistols that turn them into short-barreled rifles.”
ATF Director Steven Dettelbach echoed Garland, saying, “Certain so-called stabilizing braces are designed to be easily attached to pistols, essentially converting them to short-barreled rifles that can be fired from the shoulder. Therefore they must be treated in the same way under the Articles of Association.’
The stabilization tool was used by Connor Betts (above) when he gunned down nine people in Dayton, Ohio in 2019
It was also used by Ahmad Alissa (above) when he killed 10 people at a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado in 2019, with one of his victims including a hero cop
Along with the NRA, the lobby group Gun Owners of America condemned the new rule and vowed to take legal action.
Erich Pratt, the group’s senior vice president, said in a statement: “[The Biden administration] continues to find ways to attack gun owners. We will continue to work with our industry partners to amplify dissenting voices in the firearms industry and [Gun Owners Foundation]our legal sister arm, will be filing a lawsuit in the near future.’
US Rep. Richard Hudson, a North Carolina Republican who opposed the then-proposed 2021 change, reiterated that the ATF’s rule was an “overstatement.”
“I will continue to fight against the ATF’s unconstitutional overreach that could turn millions of citizens into felons,” Hudson said in a statement.
GOP lawmakers also criticized the regulations as overdoing the government
Hudson was also joined by Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho, who said, “The ATF’s gun mount rule announced today is nothing more than a massive executive-imposed gun registration and seizure program. This is an unacceptable attack on the Second Amendment and law-abiding Americans.’
Despite Hudson’s claims that the new regulation would affect disabled combat veterans, the ATF said the rule doesn’t apply to them.
The new rule will go into effect next week, with officials estimating there are about 3 million stabilizing braces in circulation nationwide.