GOA earning respect

**internet troll** · May 3rd, 2018, 02:49 PM

http://www.breitbart.com/big-governm...n-bump-stocks/

Gun Owners of America: Executive Branch Lacks Legal Authority to Ban Bump Stocks

Gun Owners of America (GOA) sent President Trump a letter on May 1 which expresses their conviction that the executive branch lacks the legal authority to ban bump stocks.

GOA has led the charge against a bump stock ban from the moment it began in response to the October 1, 2017, Las Vegas attack. The push began legislatively but soon faltered, as Americans did not rally behind proposed bump stock bans. The push then morphed into a regulatory maneuver, as ATF put forward a policy change that would redefine the term “machine gun” to cover machine guns and non-machine guns alike. This redefinition will make it possible to treat non-conversion firearm accessories like bump stocks as if they were conversion devices, therefore opening the door to an all-out ban on the stocks.

The group has repeatedly warned that such a re-definition of terms opens the door not simply to a ban on bump stocks, but on semi-automatic firearms in general. They have pledged to file suit against any bump stock ban and believe the executive branch would be overstepping its bounds in implementing such a ban.

Executive director of GOA Erich Pratt expressed these concerns to President Trump, writing:

I write to you today because of the recent regulations that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives proposed on your behalf. These regulations will infringe the Second Amendment rights of Americans—the very same Americans who elected you based on your promises that you would defend those rights. Respectfully, Mr. President, we want you to understand that you do not possess the legal authority to ban so-called “bump stocks” or “bumpfire stocks” by decree. An executive ban of bump stocks, by classifying them as machineguns, would utterly contradict the plain text of the federal statute regulating machineguns, even as the Obama administration repeatedly conceded.

He added:

President Trump, neither the ATF nor the Department of Justice has ever believed there is executive authority to ban bump stocks, nevertheless they have now followed your orders to do just that. I implore you to respect the text of the National Firearms Act, and the plain meaning of the Constitution, which states that the people’s right to keep and bear arms “shall not be infringed.” And I ask you to keep the promises you made to the nation’s gun owners who elected you to office.

The regulatory steps to bump stock gun control are well under way, with the DOJ working at Trump’s behest to get the ban in place quickly.

**alpacaheat** · May 3rd, 2018, 03:34 PM

One of the main reasons I went to the 2A rally on Monday was to hear Larry Pratt.

**Walleye Hunter** · May 3rd, 2018, 05:04 PM

If they succeed at this it would be big, I mean huge, really, really huge.

**marinville** · May 3rd, 2018, 05:49 PM

Can ATF rule changes be challenged in court? I would think yes, if so this would seem to be a vulnerable ruling, since its clearly contradictory to the text of the existing codified definition of a machine gun.

**wanneroo** · May 3rd, 2018, 07:06 PM

Good for GOA, glad I joined. I think the smart people can see that this is more than just about bumpstocks. Bump stocks are the trojan horse.

**buckengr** · May 4th, 2018, 05:59 AM

Originally Posted by wanneroo

Good for GOA, glad I joined. I think the smart people can see that this is more than just about bumpstocks. Bump stocks are the trojan horse.

Exactly. It won't end there. If this goes through, all of your semi-autos will be next since they're all bumpable even without the "evil" chunk of plastic. And soon enough, they'll be coming for your great-great-grandpappy's heirloom deer rifle too.

Also, once again, GOA continues to be the voice of clarity. I can tell you where my next donation will be going.

**Walleye Hunter** · May 4th, 2018, 09:12 AM

Originally Posted by buckengr

Exactly. It won't end there. If this goes through, all of your semi-autos will be next since they're all bumpable even without the "evil" chunk of plastic. And soon enough, they'll be coming for your great-great-grandpappy's heirloom deer rifle too.

Also, once again, GOA continues to be the voice of clarity. I can tell you where my next donation will be going.

Yep, its just like that 'honey do' list that people speak of. It matters not how long that list is or how much you get done on that list, the flack will always be there to do more.