The National Rifle Association lambasted a proposal from the ATF that the gun-rights group says could "unjustly criminalize" Americans for selling a firearm and consequently create "serious confusion" for legal gun owners who engage in firearm transactions.
"The Biden ATF's proposed rule, ATF2022R-17, is just another attempt to demolish our Second Amendment rights, with the potential to unjustly criminalize everyday Americans for engaging in lawful firearm transactions," NRA-ILA Executive Director Randy Kozuch exclusively told Fox News Digital in a statement.
"This rule blatantly disregards the recent NRA-backed Bruen ruling on the Second Amendment. It also creates serious confusion among lawful gun owners who buy and sell firearms legally for various purposes, from collecting to self-defense."
Kozuch was reacting to the ATF proposal ATF2022R-17, otherwise known as "Definition of ‘Engaged in the Business’ as a Dealer in Firearms," which would amend the agency’s regulations and incorporate provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, a gun control law signed by President Biden in 2022.
The proposal would expand the definition of "dealer" to anyone who "sells or offers for sale firearms, and also represents to potential buyers or otherwise demonstrates a willingness and ability to purchase and sell additional firearms." The proposal would also incorporate the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act’s definition of earning a profit from gun sales, meaning a "dealer" would include individuals who sell guns for other forms of profit – such as personal property or services offered – not just cash.
The proposal would subsequently spark confusion among gun owners about which firearm transactions would require a federal firearms license, accordant to the NRA.
