DOJ Stops Defending ATF's Favorite Legal Trap - #2A
DOJ Drops Defense of ATF ‘Engaged in the Business’ Rule in Texas v. ATF
DOJ Drops Defense of ATF ‘Engaged in the Business’ Rule in Texas v. ATF
(John Crump, AmmoLand) - The Department of Justice has filed a motion to dismiss the landmark federal lawsuit Texas v. ATF. This is a big triumph for gun rights, as the administration appears to be dropping its defense of a controversial ATF regulation that overreached on private gun sales (EIB rule). It amounts to a significant victory in the fight to protect Americans’ constitutional right to keep and bear arms without excessive federal interference.
Gun Owners of America (GOA), a co-plaintiff, insinuated the filing is a major victory for law-abiding gun owners and clearly repudiate regulatory overreach by the previous Biden administration. This move would largely end the 2024 ATF rule, preserving the longstanding distinction between occasional private gun sales and commercial dealing that requires a Federal Firearms License (FFL).
“The DOJ’s decision to drop its appeal is all thanks to the grassroots pushing back and making their voices heard,” Erich Pratt, Senior Vice President of Gun Owners of America, said. “This Biden rule was never about safety. It was a move to disarm law-abiding Americans through bureaucratic decree. GOA and GOF [Gun Owners Foundation] have once again triumphed over ATF – and we will not stop until this rule is dead and buried.”
The final rule was released in April 2024 under then-President Joe Biden. It broadened what it means to be “engaged in the business” of selling guns, slapping on stricter…