Reps. Jordan, Massie Ask ATF Director to Testify Before House Judiciary Committee

Steven Dettelbach testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearing to be the next director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 25, 2022. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) of the House Judiciary Committee have requested that the director and employees of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) testify regarding the agency’s firearms policies.

In a March 6 letter to ATF Director Steven Dettelbach, the congressmen invited Dettelbach to testify at a 10 a.m. hearing on April 26, noting that they had “additional questions” regarding his agency’s efforts to “regulate firearms through the rulemaking process.”

“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 lawmakers wrote.

The rule in question, which took effect on Jan. 31, classifies pistols equipped with stabilizing braces—also known as pistol braces—as “short-barreled rifles,” making them subject to federal regulation.

In their March 6 letter, the Republican congressmen challenged ATF’s authority to enforce the new regulation, noting the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency that a federal agency must have “clear congressional authorization’ for the authority it claims.”

“This ruling raises serious doubts about ATF’s ability to regulate pistol braces absent a clear mandate from Congress,” they noted.

The hearing, the congressmen added, would provide the Judiciary Committee with an opportunity to hear directly from Dettelbach about the reasoning that led to ATF’s implementation of the “controversial policies.”

Other ATF employees that the congressmen requested testimony from include chief of staff Daniel Board, acting assistant director of public and government affairs Justin O’Connell, and deputy assistant director Megan Bennett.

In a March 7 statement provided to The Epoch Times, ATF deputy chief of public affairs Erik Longnecker noted: “ATF received the letter in question today. Just a little over a week ago, ATF provided Chairman Jordan with detailed responses to questions he asked about rule-making along with more than 81,000 pages of documents responsive to his request.

“We look forward to continuing productive and cooperative exchanges with Congress regarding ATF’s mission to protect the public from violent crime.”

The lawmakers’ requests come on the heels of a Jan. 4 lawsuit filed by a coalition of 24 states challenging the new regulation.

Holding that the rule marks a reversal of longstanding ATF policy and violates the National Firearms Act and the Gun Control Act, the states requested that the court declare the rule unlawful and enjoin ATF from enforcing it.

“Let’s call this what it is: an effort to undermine Americans’ Second Amendment rights,” said West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, who is leading the coalition.

“This is an egregious final rule turning millions of common firearms accessories into ‘short barreled rifles.’ This is a completely nonsensical regulation.

“This is part of the continued attack by the Biden administration against lawful gun owners,” Morrisey added.