Braun
U.S. Senator Mike Braun has reintroduced the ATF Accountability Act to provide transparency to gun owners across America on rules made by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
The ATF engages in a classification review process where the agency makes decisions about whether a particular firearm is regulated by the National Firearms Act. Decisions and justification for decisions are often only made available to manufacturers in private correspondence.
“This causes a lot of uncertainty for both gun-owning Americans and firearm manufacturers, especially in combination with the ATF’s refusal to make final public rules regarding classification,” Sen. Braun said.
Senators Barrasso, Cramer, Crapo, Daines, Hawley, Hoeven, Hyde-Smith, Lankford, Lummis, Marshall, Mullin, Risch, and R. Scott cosponsored the legislation.
“American gun owners and manufacturers have been left in the dark for far too long with closed-door rule changes by the ATF,” Sen. Braun said. “Americans exercising their Second Amendment rights shouldn’t be the last to know the classification status of firearms, or what licenses or tax stamps they need to avoid running afoul of the law. The ATF needs accountability and transparency, which this bill accomplishes.”
The ATF Accountability Act :
- Creates an appeals process following a ruling by ATF with specific regular timeframes
- Permits gun manufacturers to appeal the legal status or classification of any product by filing with the Director of Industry Operations with jurisdiction. After which, the appeal is directed to an administrative law judge
Click here to read the full text of the bill.