According to a lawsuit filed Wednesday by the Texas Public Policy Foundation, (TPPF), the Biden administration is using the 1968 Gun Control Act in order to remove gun dealers’ licenses due to paperwork errors.
According to a federal lawsuit, in 2021, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives began revoking dealer licenses for errors in firearm transaction paperwork that violated the Act. This was despite the fact that the Act only allows for a penalty for “willful” violations. Michael Cargill, the plaintiff, and Central Texas Gun Works (CTGW) are also representing their customers.
Following the Biden administration’s comprehensive gun crime prevention strategy and public safety strategy, the ATF adopted a new approach in June 2021. A memorandum informed ATF directors and agents that license revocation proceedings could also be initiated for single Gun Control Act violations. According to the lawsuit, the memorandum was sent to ATF agents and directors. License revocations are said to have increased by 500%.
According to Matt Miller, Senior Attorney at TPPF Center for the American Future, “In most cases these aren’t people who gave a gun to a prohibited buyer.” The Daily Caller News Foundation was told by Miller. They didn’t give a gun either to a criminal or to a child. They were simply guilty of simple paperwork violations and the administration now uses that to cancel these licenses.”
According to the lawsuit, CTGW was last examined by the ATF in 2018. It found that CTGW had a 0.5% error rate in 35 transactions. This did not result in any gun being taken into prohibited hands. The bureau’s enforcement policy could lead to business owners losing their livelihoods due to accidental typos and minor paperwork errors.
Miller stated that “it’s typical of what you’ll see with this administration,” citing the Biden administration’s actions regarding COVID-19-related regulations. They’re reinterpreting old laws and using them to further administration policy agendas.
A spokesperson for ATF told DCNF that the bureau couldn’t comment on ongoing litigation.
