BREAKING: ATF Backs Down, Withdraws Comment Request on Pistol Brace ‘Objective Factors’ Classification

By Dan Zimmerman via TTAG and republished with permission

The ATF has just posted a notice that they have withdrawn their request for public comment on “Objective Factors for Classifying Weapons with ‘Stabilizing Braces‘” in the Federal Register. Here is the full announcement from the ATF:

ATF is announcing the withdrawal of a notice and request for comments entitled “Objective Factors for Classifying Weapons with ‘Stabilizing Braces’,” that was published on December 18, 2020.

ATF Deputy Director Marvin Richardson has just issued the following statement:

As of this evening, more than 48,000 comments had been entered in the Federal Register objecting to the arbitrary and subjective nature of the ATF’s proposed classification of pistols equipped with stabilizing braces.

Yesterday, 90 members of Congress sent a letter to ATF Interim Director Regina Lombardo noting that the ATF’s proposed guidance was anything but objective and could put law-abiding Americans in potential legal jeopardy.

But TTAG has learned that the final straw that persuaded the ATF to back down was serious pressure applied by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. A call took place over the weekend involving a number of firearms industry companies and McConnell’s office.

McConnell’s subsequent involvement in the matter, along with fast and furious (to coin a phrase) activism from the gun rights community in opposition to the ATF’s proposed move were what resulted in this evening’s win.

More details may be revealed over time, but this is an unqualified victory. One that many in the gun rights community likely weren’t expecting given recent news surrounding the ATF’s appetite for more firearms-related regulation in advance of a Biden inauguration.

This, however, is just one win in a larger battle to protect Americans’ Second Amendment rights. A battle that is never really won and will surely require more participation from gun owners in the weeks and months ahead. Stay tuned for more as it becomes available.