Gun Owners of America spokesman Stephen Willeford explains why the vote needs to go through, for the sake of private gun owners.
Earlier this week, the House Judiciary Committee opted to postpone a vote to potential nullify a pistol brace rule put in place by the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) following the tragedy that took place in Nashville earlier this week. However, some believe that there’s a chance the vote could be cancelled entirely, with some potentially playing a ”politics” card against it.
Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said to The Hill, “Democrats were going to turn this tragic event into a political thing.”
The initial case revolved around a potential classification for pistols with a stabilizing brace to be re-labeled as short-barreled rifles. But the more crippling issue is forcing those that own such braces to register with the U.S. government by the end of May – something that could be a sticking point for a number of private gun owners.
“This issue we wanted to mark up tomorrow that we’ll mark up here in a couple of weeks as is all about the Constitution,” Jordan explained. “You had an agency tell Americans the rule was one thing. Ten years later, they just changed the rule without going through Congress. So, this is a Constitutional concern, but Democrats had already been talking about making everything political, so we just decided to postpone.”
So what will happen with the vote now? With us to discuss this further is Stephen Willeford, a spokesman for Gun Owners of America. You may recall in 2017 how he stopped the Sutherland Springs, Texas mass shooting, acting as the “good guy with a gun.” His expertise is welcome in this matter.
Q&A:
- Do you believe Jordan has truth in his statement about some Democrats trying to turn the vote against the ATF rule as “political”?
- When it comes to registering stabilizing braces, how much would it affect private gun owners? Does it seem like a violation of private gun rights to you?
- Do you believe the vote will go through later this week or the beginning of next? Or will Democrats possibly try to push it back even further?
- Why do you think the ATF put the rule in effect to begin with? Does a stabilizing brace really seem like such a potential target for controversy?
- Tell us about the importance of stabilizing braces, and why some gun owners would prefer to use them.
- Tell us more about your “hero with a gun” incident in 2017, and the importance of being ready against an “active shooter.”
- Where can we learn more about you, as well as Gun Owners of America?
My official website is http://www.stephenwilleford.com. You can read more about Gun Owners of America at https://www.gunowners.org/.
About Stephen Willeford…
Stephen represents Gun Owners of America and is known around the country as the “good guy with the gun” for helping stop the largest Texas mass shooting in the history of the state in 2017. He is available to speak about all 2nd Amendment issues, as well as the importance of Gun Owners of America. You can read more about him at http://www.stephenwilleford.com.
CONTACT: Jerry McGlothlin at: geraldmcg@outlook.com or 919-437-0001.
