Press Releases

Congressman Ben Cline (R-VA) led a letter to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) urging the agency to uphold Second Amendment rights and continue processing National Firearms Act (NFA) applications during the ongoing government shutdown. He was joined by Reps. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Eric Burlison (R-MO), Buddy Carter (R-GA), Michael Cloud (R-TX), Andrew Clyde (R-GA), Mike Collins (R-GA), Eli Crane (R-AZ), Troy Downing (R-MT), Randy Fine (R-FL), Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN), Russ Fulcher (R-ID), Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA), Harriet Hageman (R-WY), Mark Harris (R-NC), Wesley Hunt (R-TX), Rich McCormick (R-GA), John McGuire (R-VA), Mary Miller (R-IL), Barry Moore (R-AL), Riley Moore (R-WV), Robert Onder (R-MO), August Pfluger (R-TX), Chip Roy (R-TX), Michael Rulli (R-OH), Jefferson Shreve (R-IN), Victoria Spartz (R-IN), Randy Weber (R-TX), and Rudy Yakym (R-IN).

“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,” the lawmakers wrote.

“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,” they continued.

“Gun Owners of America believes that the NFA is an infringement that should be repealed, and ATF’s refusal to facilitate the lawful purchase and transfer of NFA firearms only proves the point.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,” Erich Pratt, Senior Vice President of GOA, said.

“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,” Aidan Johnston, Director of Federal Affairs of GOA, said.

Read the full letter here.

Congressman Ben Cline represents the Sixth Congressional District of Virginia. He previously was an attorney in private practice and served both as an assistant prosecutor and a Member of the Virginia House of Delegates. Cline and his wife, Elizabeth, live in Botetourt County with their two children.