ATF to Require Multiple Sales Reports for Long Guns

[imschur]

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is moving to require federally licensed firearms retailers to report multiple sales of modern sporting rifles beginning January 5, 2011. Specifically, the ATF requirement calls for firearms retailers to report multiple sales, or other dispositions, of two or more .22 caliber or larger semi-automatic rifles that are capable of accepting a detachable magazine and are purchased by the same individual within five consecutive business days.

Today’s Washington Post suggests that the reporting mandate would be limited to retailers along the Southwest border; however, the Federal Register Notice does not limit the geographic scope of the reporting requirement.

This ATF “emergency” mandate was originally pushed by the anti-gun Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG) coalition, headed by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, more than a year and a half ago. And the Post reports that the Department of Justice has “languished” over this plan for several months.  Given this timetable, it’s hard to see exactly where the “emergency” is.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation opposes this reporting requirement because it further burdens America’s law-abiding firearms retailers with yet another onerous regulation that will do nothing to curb crime.  Multiple sales reporting of long guns will actually make it more difficult for licensed retailers to help law enforcement as traffickers modify their illegal schemes to circumvent the reporting requirement, thereby driving traffickers further underground. This is not unlike how criminals maneuvered around one-gun-a-month laws in states like Virginia – which is still considered an “exporting source state” by anti-gun organizations like the MAIG despite its restrictions on the number of firearms law-abiding residents may purchase.

Multiple sales reporting for long guns is an ill-considered mandate and one that ATF does not have the legal authority to unilaterally impose. In fact, ATF has not specified under what legal authority it presumes to act. The decision as to whether ATF can move forward with this agenda-driven mandate will be left to Cass Sunstein who heads the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA).  This is the same Cass Sunstein who in a 2007 speech at Harvard University said, “We ought to ban hunting, if there isn’t a purpose other than sport and fun. That should be against the law. It’s time now.”

NSSF will be submitting comments in opposition to this registration scheme and is encouraging all firearms retailers, sportsmen and enthusiasts to do the same.

Please voice your concern by doing the following:

1. Call the Office of Management and Budget, Office of Information and Regulation Affairs, Department of Justice, Desk Officer at (202) 395-6466.

2. E-mail Barbara A. Terrell, ATF, Firearms Industry Programs Branch at Barbara.Terrell@atf.gov

3. Call your Senators and Representative: United States Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121

Points to make:

[list type=decimal]

[*]Multiple      sales reporting of long guns will actually make it more difficult for      licensed retailers to help law enforcement as traffickers modify their      illegal schemes to circumvent the reporting requirement. Traffickers will      go further underground, hiring more people to buy their firearms. This      will make it much harder for retailers to identify and report suspicious      behavior to law enforcement.

[*]Long      guns are rarely used in crime (Bureau of Justice Statistics).

[*]Imposing      multiple sales-reporting requirements for long guns would further add to      the already extensive paperwork and record-keeping      requirements burdening America’s retailers – where a single mistake could cost them their license and even land them in jail.

[*]Last      year, ATF inspected 2,000 retailers in border states and only two      licenses were revoked (0.1%). These revocations were for reasons      unknown and could have had nothing to do with illicit trafficking of guns;      furthermore, no dealers were charged with any criminal wrongdoing.

[*]According      to ATF, the average age of a firearm recovered in the United States      is 11 years old. In Mexico      it’s more than 14 years old.  This demonstrates that criminals are      not using new guns bought from retailers in the states.

[*]Congress,      when it enacted multiple sales reporting for handguns, could have required      multiple sales of long guns – it specifically chose not to.

[FS2KSTD]

Using the cartel violence in Mexico to push forward more anti-gun agenda? Say it isn't so!  >:(

[imschur]

They chisel away unchecked

[lmao_37]

More bullcrap  from the ATF

[Microgunner]

01/05/2011 isn't far off and we haven't heard a single word from the BATFE concerning these possible new regulations.

[asmurff]

As someone who lives in a border state this really ticks me off.

The current adminstration is singling out border states because so many are considering Arizona types laws on Illegal Aliens.

ATF shouldn't be allowed to change any laws or regulations without it going through congress for votes. Plus Congress needs to get off their butt and deal with the ATF reform law.

[imschur]

http://www.nssfblog.com/atf-to-require-multiple-sales-reports-for-long-guns/ 

[Microgunner]

I very much doubt the BATFE would realize much success trying to impose federal regulations/restrictions on just some states. I'd imagine federal regulations would have to be imposed unilaterally.

[imschur]

I wonder what powers they have granted themselves in the name of homeland security

[imschur]

BATFE Requests "Emergency" Authority To Track Semi-Automatic Rifle Sales

  The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has proposed that it be given emergency authority for six months, beginning January 5, to require about 8,500 firearms dealers along the border with Mexico "to alert authorities when they sell within five consecutive business days two or more semiautomatic rifles greater than .22 caliber with detachable magazines."  A Washington Post story reporting on the BATFE proposal described that definition as being applicable to "so-called assault weapons," but it would also apply to many rifles that have never been labeled with that term.

The reporting requirement will apparently be imposed under the "authority" the BATFE has used in the past to demand reporting of other types of transactions from certain limited groups of dealers over the past 10 years, but the new proposal is far broader than any previous use of this authority.  Of course, there's no law today that prevents dealers from reporting suspicious transactions (or attempted transactions) to the BATFE, and dealers often do so. The BATFE is also free to inspect dealers' sales records--either for annual compliance inspections or during a criminal investigation.

 

[bdavison]

Memo to Self:

When purchasing long guns, purchase from multiple dealers....so they dont report my rapidly growing arsenal.

[asmurff]

Rehberg Leads Bipartisan Letter to ATF Questioning New Firearm Dealer Regulations

Rehberg.house.gov

Montanas Congressman, Denny Rehberg today sent a bipartisan letter along with 33 co-signers to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco , Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) questioning an emergency information request that will require federally licensed firearms retailers to report multiple sales of semi-automatic rifles. The proposal was included in the Federal Register and specifically calls for firearm retailers to report multiple sales, or other dispositions, of two or more .22 caliber or larger semi-automatic rifles that are capable of accepting a detachable magazine and are purchased by the same individual within five consecutive business days.