Congressman Ben Cline (R-VA) has led a group of 29 members of Congress in sending a letter to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), urging the agency to continue processing National Firearms Act (NFA) applications during the ongoing government shutdown. The letter was co-signed by Representatives from several states, including Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Eric Burlison (R-MO), Buddy Carter (R-GA), Michael Cloud (R-TX), and others.
The lawmakers wrote, “As you know, National Firearms Act (“NFA”) application examiners are among the ATF employees currently furloughed during this shutdown. This means that Americans are currently unable to acquire widely popular NFA-regulated firearms and safety equipment, such as shortbarreled rifles and silencers, because no one at ATF will approve their applications at this time.”
They continued, “Indeed, NFA application approvals are related to the discharge of the President’s constitutional duties and powers. The President of the United States is charged with protecting and defending the Constitution of the United States, and this includes the Second Amendment. To be sure, the National Firearms Act unquestionably violates the Second Amendment. But in enacting this statutory scheme, Congress tasked the Executive Branch with issuing application determinations. The President therefore has a constitutional imperative to ensure that Americans can exercise their Second Amendment rights even during periods of government shutdown. Otherwise, constitutionally enumerated rights rise and fall with congressional appropriation.”
Erich Pratt, Senior Vice President of Gun Owners of America (GOA), stated, “Gun Owners of America believes that the NFA is an infringement that should be repealed, and ATF’s refusal to facilitate the lawful purchase and transfer of NFA firearms only proves the point. Thank you to Representative Ben Cline and his leadership in this issue to ensure that the Second Amendment rights of gun owners to obtain NFA firearms are not further treated like a second-class right.”
Aidan Johnston, Director of Federal Affairs at GOA, added, “Gun owners should not have their rights infringed because of a lapse in government funding. I hope that Acting ATF Director Daniel Driscoll will reverse this longstanding ATF shutdown policy by redesignating NFA examiners as ‘exempt’ during this Democrat-shutdown.”
Ben Cline has represented Virginia’s 6th Congressional District since 2019, after replacing Bob Goodlatte. Before serving in Congress, Cline was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 2002 to 2018 and worked as an attorney in private practice and as an assistant prosecutor. He was born in Stillwater, Oklahoma in 1972 and currently lives in Fincastle with his wife Elizabeth and their two children. Cline holds a BA from Bates College and a JD from the University of Richmond.
