Ernst, Grassley Counter Biden Admin’s Attack on Second Amendment Rights

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) are standing up for Iowans’ Second Amendment rights in the face of the Biden administration’s ongoing attacks on federal firearms license (FFL) holders.

The senators are following up on their previous oversight of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and exposing its attempt to abuse the law to revoke FFLs from lawful gun sellers. In the letter, they demand answers on how the ATF is taking away FFLs in a way that clearly oversteps the intent of the law at the expense of the legal gun seller.

“Our questions and concerns are particularly acute given your agency’s recent gross misinterpretation of who is required to get FFLs in order to sell guns,” the lawmakers wrote. “In no way did Congress mean to require anyone who even offers to sell a gun to need a FFL.”

“As we said last year, the first goal of working with FFL holders should be to help them comply with the law—not to eradicate small businesses for mere administrative errors,” the lawmakers continued. “At a time when crime appears to be increasing, your agency’s action ‘risks alienating some of the government’s most valuable sources in combating gun violence.’ This is a questionable decision, at best. As was the case last year, FFL holders remain a crucial partner in stopping dangerous criminals from accessing firearms, and they should be treated as such.”

Ernst has worked to hold the ATF accountable by standing up against ATF agents knocking on the doors of private residences, where many law-abiding gun owners live, and asking them to display a recently purchased firearm. She has also exposed the ATF’s routine misclassification of administrative positions as law enforcement jobs, improperly costing the federal agency millions in pay and enhanced benefits over five years.

Read the full letter here.

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