In his capacity as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, GOP Rep. Jim Jordan has directed his attention toward Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms chief Steve Dettelbach, seeking transparency regarding the decision-making process behind the requirement for more gun sellers to be federally licensed.
Jordan expressed concern that this effort by the ATF and gun regulators could infringe upon the Second Amendment rights of millions of Americans.
The rule in question aims to broaden the definition of when a person is considered “engaged in the business” of selling guns, potentially necessitating more individuals to obtain a federal license.
Jim Jordan (Credits: Cleveland.com)
Dettelbach justified this measure by highlighting the issue of unlicensed gun dealers engaging in off-book, illicit sales, which undermine the law, endanger public safety, and burden law enforcement. He argued that these activities are unfair to licensed dealers who adhere to the law.
However, Jordan views the ATF’s regulatory notice as an overreach, accusing the Biden administration of attempting to abuse the federal rulemaking process to push a “far-left policy outcome.”
He expressed concern that the rule, by presuming individuals are breaking the law unless they can prove their innocence, flips the burden of proof and violates the Second Amendment rights of Americans.
Jordan’s letter to Dettelbach demanded records and an explanation of how the ATF plans to enforce the policy, indicating a pushback against what he perceives as government overreach in regulating firearms sales.
