NEW: 80 gun companies recently met with Mitch McConnell's office and warned the ATF's latest decision could cost them $2 billion. Industry officials have spoken to top White House staff about it and NRA's LaPierre is supposed to speak directly to Trump. freebeacon.com/2020-election/…
Second Amendment advocates are warning if the ATF's move isn't rescinded, it could depress gun owner turn out in the key Georgia senate runoffs. Not to mention the possible creation of millions of new felons--people unknowingly running afoul of the ATF. freebeacon.com/2020-election/…
The issue stems from ATF's new position that most AR-15s with forearm braces, usually regulated as pistols, are likely short-barrel rifles. That would require the 3-4 million currently-owned to go through the onerous process of registration under the National Firearms Act
The industry, following previous ATF guidance, had significantly built up production of AR-15 pistols in the last 8 years. For some major manufactures, like Palmetto State Armory, the guns account for 30% of their business. The new guidance could cost Palmetto State $150 million.
"For the last eight years, we have geared our R&D, production, and manufacturing around the guidance given by the ATF," Jamin McCallum, founder of Palmetto State Armory, told me. "And now they're basically trying to put the genie back in the bottle." freebeacon.com/2020-election/…
Alex Bosco, owner of SB Tactical which is the leading manufacturer of pistol braces, told me the ATF's decision puts his business at serious risk.
"The proposed language has had a crushing economic impact on SB Tactical and the other pistol stabilizing brace manufacturers," he told me. He said the problem "goes way beyond braces," though.
"The more telling effect of the confusing & arbitrary nature of the document, is that a subsection of the industry, including manufacturers, machinists, wholesalers & retailers, have forecasted the loss of thousands of US jobs & over a billion dollars in lost revenue," he said.
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