[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 26 (Wednesday, February 8, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H746]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PROTECTING THE SECOND AMENDMENT
(Mr. GOOD of Virginia asked and was given permission to address the
House for 1 minute.)
Mr. GOOD of Virginia. Madam Speaker, the Biden administration
continues their all-out assault on the Second Amendment as evidenced by
the President's call just last night in this very Chamber for banning
weapons he finds objectionable.
Madam Speaker, Democrats believe that the government should decide
your God-given constitutionally protected rights. Their new ATF rule
published in the Federal Register further threatens the rights of law-
abiding citizens.
It treats individuals who own pistols with stabilizing braces as if
they possess illegal short-barrel rifles, and it forces them to
surrender them to the Federal Government. If they don't surrender them,
then they are retroactively declared criminals for what was then a
lawful purchase, and they now face up to 10 years in prison and a
$250,000 fine.
This is just another example of the Washington-knows-best elites who
are out-of-touch with everyday Americans.
So I introduced the PISTOL Act to block the ATF from redefining
pistol braces as short-barreled rifles. My legislation provides a
simple statutory definition of a pistol and would prevent the Biden
administration from improperly classifying pistol braces or regulating
them by decree or fiat.
The Second Amendment is not subject to bureaucratic interpretation,
and we have got to fight to protect the God-given and constitutionally
protected rights of all Americans.
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