By Steve Neavling
U.S. House Republicans are demanding testimony from ATF Director Steven Dettelbach and others as conservative lawmakers plan to grill the agency during a Judiciary Committee hearing in April.
Republicans are zeroing in on the ATF’s tightened regulations on pistol-stabilizing braces.
The demand for testimony comes after far-right U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz introduced a bill in January to abolish the ATF following the tightened regulations.
In a letter to Dettelbach, Republicans Jim Jordan, of Ohio, and Thomas Massie, of Kentucky, allege the ATF is violating American’s right to own guns.
“The ATF’s lack of transparency comes after the agency issued a final rule banning stabilizing pistol braces, and as the agency continues to shut down lawful businesses through the zero-tolerance policy for federal firearms dealers (FFLs),” the Republicans wrote.
“This ruling raises serious doubts about ATF’s ability to regulate pistol braces absent a clear mandate from Congress,” Jordan and Massie added.
Republicans set the hearing for April 26, saying in the letter that it “will be an opportunity for the Committee to hear directly from you, as the head of the agency, about the decisions that led the ATF to implement these controversial policies.”
Republicans are also requesting interviews from several senior ATF officials, including Chief of Staff Daniel Board, Acting Assistant Director of Public and Government Affairs Justin O’Connell, and Deputy Assistant Director Megan Bennett.
The ATF previously said that its rule does not impact stabilizing braces that are “objectively designed and intended as a ‘stabilizing brace’ for use by individuals with disabilities, and not for shouldering the weapon as a rifle. Such stabilizing braces are designed to conform to the arm and not as a buttstock. However, if the firearm with the ‘stabilizing brace’ is a short-barreled rifle, it needs to be registered within 120-days from the date of publication in the Federal Register.”
