Therefore, congratulations are due to Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) for his stalwart stand against the latest overreach by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Hagerty on Tuesday expressed his intentions to file a Congressional Review Act (CRA) Resolution of Disapproval to block the agency’s new interim Final Rule.
Late last year the ATF enacted a 90-day pause on licenses for firearm exports by U.S. manufacturers. That action inexplicably extended to more than 180 days, and a recent announcement revealed why.
The federal government intends to make that regulation permanent through the new Final Rule. This would set extreme restrictions on exports of weapons and ammunition in yet another attempt to bring the firearms industry to its knees.
The rule was published by the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). Congressional opponents charge it is intended merely to punish the weapons industry.
Hagerty said as much in the press release detailing his defense of constitutional rights.
“This rule is another Operation Choke Point — a politically motivated effort that significantly harms Tennessee manufacturers — and will consequently destroy U.S. jobs and small businesses that support the firearm and ammunition industry.”
Hagerty added that the action is the latest bureaucratic example of attempting to work around the legislative process and the will of the American people. “I’m pleased to lead my colleagues in an effort to overturn this unlawful and unwarranted rule and protect American enterprise.”
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the industry trade association, expressed its satisfaction with the CRA. NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane criticized the latest move by the White House to stifle gun rights.
Keane declared Second Amendment opponents have “shown their cards and there’s not a sleight-of-hand they won’t play to advance their anti-gun agenda.” He charged that the Oval Office has implemented “every government lever to crank up punishing restrictions that will have no bearing on improving national security or crime reduction.”
Rather, the overarching goal is to destroy the industry that makes armed self-defense possible.
It was Oct. 27, 2023, when the supposed 90-day “pause” was implemented. This was intended, according to its proponents, to give authorities time to review firearm export policy and issue new directives.
The new Final rule is claimed to be focused on national security concerns. But this declaration falls flat when considering that the ATF’s own numbers show that only roughly 1% of firearms that are legally exported are recovered by officials at crime scenes.
The new Final Rule does not stop with the export ban on firearms and ammunition. BIS will now mandate export licenses for sporting shotguns and even precision optics sent to countries closely aligned with the U.S.
This is directly counter to policy that held for decades that no such license was required.
And the clear intent of the government is to suppress or outright deny these export licenses. The former four-year period covered by an issued license will drop to only one year. Each application will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Officials intend to consider foreign policy, national security risk factors, corruption in the government of the nation being exported to, possible diversion of firearms and human rights factors.
Further, there will be a presumption of denial to dozens of countries deemed high-risk by the U.S. government.
The goals of the new Final Rule are blatantly obvious. Kudos to Sen. Hagerty and his allies for calling out unelected bureaucrats for another frontal attack on the Second Amendment-protected weapons industry.
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