Friend,
I hear it all the time from opponents of gun safety: "we don't need new gun laws, we just need to enforce the laws already on the books."
So, you might be surprised to hear that Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL) recently introduced legislation to... abolish the only federal agency dedicated solely to enforcing firearm laws.[1]
The work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) saves lives. It's as simple as that.
Congressman Gaetz's hypcroticial – but more importantly, dangerous – legislation to abolish this agency was introduced in a fit of pique after ATF finalized a new lifesaving gun safety rule.[2]
Now, pistols converted with stabilizing braces require a federal license, because this allows them to be fired from the shoulder and can maximize their lethality by converting them into short-barreled rifles. This is dangerous, because short-barreled rifles have the greater accuracy of long guns, but are easier to conceal.
We’ve already seen their destruction. A gunman using a stabilizing brace killed 10 people at a grocery store in Boulder, CO in 2021, and a stabilizing brace was used in a 2019 shooting in Dayton, OH where 9 people were killed.[3]
This new rule is good news for public safety, but to gun extremists like Congressman Gaetz, it’s an opportunity to do the bidding of groups like the NRA.
Rep. Gaetz’s bill is dangerous. We will never end the gun violence epidemic without the regulation and enforcement of the ATF.
Send a note to your congressperson today opposing Rep. Gaetz’s bill. Support the work of the ATF to reduce violent crime and strengthen public safety.
Sincerely,
Adam Garber
CeaseFirePA Action
1. https://weartv.com/amp/news/local/matt-gaetz-introduces-bill-to-abolish-the-atf-bureau-of-alcohol-tobacco-firearms-and-explosives-florida-republican-gop-rule-making
2. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-new-rule-address-stabilizing-braces-accessories-used-convert
3. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gop-lawmakers-nra-slam-atf-rule-regulate-pistol-braces-unconstitutional-overreach
