Gun Owners of America spokesman Stephen Willeford explains why the Department of Justice’s latest move is a big one for private gun owners.
The Department of Justice has spoken – and it’s a huge win for gun owners.
Per this press release from the Gun Owners of America, the Department of Justice just issued an Interim Final Rule that removes the Attorney General’s delegation of authority to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to process applications for relief from federal firearms disabilities.
This follows over three decades of funding restrictions from Congress that stopped individual applications from being processed. As a result, the Department of Justice will allow individuals who are not “dangerous to public safety” to petition for their gun rights to be restored.
The key points of the rule change are as follows:
- Since 1992, Congress has prohibited ATF from using funds to process gun rights restoration applications, making the statute obsolete.
- ATF will no longer handle individual firearm disability relief applications under 18 U.S.C. 925(c). DOJ will instead carry out the statute and process petitions for gun rights restoration.
- The DOJ rule goes into effect immediately upon publication and will simultaneously accept public comments on the rule before issuing a final version.
Even with the victory, the Gun Owners of America vow to keep a close eye on the process, to assure that future policies follow the same pattern.
Erich Pratt, Senior Vice President of Gun Owners of America, noted, “For decades, law-abiding Americans who have had their gun rights unfairly restricted have been left in legal limbo—creating an unconstitutional de facto lifetime gun ban. This bureaucratic failure has denied thousands of individuals their lawful opportunity to restore their rights. The DOJ’s decision to finally withdraw ATF’s authority in this matter is an encouraging sign that this administration is serious about protecting the Second Amendment for all Americans.”
Joining us now to discuss this further is Stephen Willeford, who currently serves as spokesman for the GOA. Stephen is the “hero with a gun” from the Sutherland Springs incident in 2017, which he has since co-written a book about. We welcome him to the show!
Q&A:
- Why do you think it took so long for the Department of Justice to issue an Interim Final Rule on this particular issue with the Attorney General?
- What does this mean for gun rights going forward, as a whole?
- Could the ATF potentially try to object to certain applications depending on the condition of certain applicants?
- Where do you see gun policies going from here following this decision? Will the ability to retain gun rights get easier? Or will certain states continue to object with their own laws?
- You recently wrote a book called A Town Called Sutherland Springs: Faith and Heroism Through Tragedy, revolving around your 2017 “hero with a gun” situation. Tell us more about how this came together, and why it’s such an important read right now.
- Where can people find your book?
- Where can we learn more about you, as well as Gun Owners of America?
- You can learn more at http://www.thebarefootdefender.com. You can also read more about the 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 gun rights issues, as well as the importance of Gun Owners of America. He is the author of the book A Town Called Sutherland Springs: Faith and Heroism Through Tragedy. You can read more about him at http://www.thebarefootdefender.com.
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