WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and 41 Senate Republicans introduced a joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act to strike down the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) rule on the definition of “Engaged in the Business” as a Dealer in Firearms. The rule ignores the law and congressional intent and flagrantly violates the Constitution to try to require anyone who sells a firearm to register as a federal firearm licensee. U.S. Representative Andrew Clyde (R-GA-09) is introducing the resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“Once again, the Biden administration is playing fast and loose with the law to push his liberal, and frankly, unconstitutional agenda,” said Dr. Cassidy. “We will not stand by as the administration tries to restrict the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans.”
“This rule is proof that the Biden administration is a dishonest broker, and Congress must hold it accountable for its actions in favor of its gun-grabbing liberal base over the Constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans,” said Senator Cornyn. “We will fight this lawless rule tooth and nail to ensure the God-given right to keep and bear arms is preserved and this flagrant distortion of congressional intent of our landmark mental health and school safety law is struck down.”
“It is outrageous that the Biden administration decided to take a good faith effort to curb the mental health crisis across our country and turn it into an unconstitutional attempt to restrict firearms from law-abiding American citizens,” said Senator Tillis. “This overreach is exactly why Republicans don’t trust this Administration, and it will setback any attempt on future bipartisan legislation as long as President Biden is in office. I encourage my colleagues to support this CRA we introduced and immediately overturn this ridiculous regulation.”
“The ATF’s ‘engaged in the business’ rule represents President Biden’s latest attempt to institute universal background checks, advance the Left’s radical gun control agenda, and infringe on Americans’ Second Amendment rights,” said Representative Clyde. “Private citizens simply shouldn’t be forced to jump through unelected, anti-gun bureaucrats’ unconstitutional hurdles to engage in lawful firearms transactions. I look forward to leading this critical CRA in the House, and I urge my colleagues in both chambers to support our measure to stop the Biden administration’s tyranny in its tracks.”
The resolution is endorsed by Gun Owners of America, the National Rifle Association, and the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
Cassidy, Cornyn, and Tillis were joined by U.S. Senators Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Ted Budd (R-NC), John Kennedy (R-LA), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Steve Daines (R-MT), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Rick Scott (R-FL), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), John Boozman (R-AR), Jim Risch (R-ID), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), John Hoeven (R-ND), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Mike Lee (R-UT), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Mitt Romney (R-UT), James Lankford (R-OK), John Thune (R-SD), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Tim Scott (R-SC), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Mike Braun (R-IN), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), J.D. Vance (R-OH), John Barrasso (R-WY), Katie Britt (R-AL), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), and Ron Johnson (R-WI) in introducing the resolution.
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