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22 attorneys general filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court on Tuesday, showing their support of Gun Owners of America, Inc., in a case against U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland.
The gun-rights group is suing Biden’s DOJ over increased gun control regulations enforced by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
Attorneys general from red states, like Montana and West Virginia, signed onto the brief supporting the Second Amendment in addition to those from swing states, including Arizona and Ohio.
The case submitted by Gun Owners of America, Inc., which has national support from attorneys general, challenges the authority of an organization such as the ATF to criminalize American gun owners without being granted that authority by Congress.
It is now gaining attention from the nation’s top justice officials after the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals was split on the decision. By default, the divided court upheld the ATF rule.
According to Just the News, the ATF has been attempting to regulate bump-stock accessories because they cause firearms to become what the National Firearms Act of 1934 considers machine guns.
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen stated in the amicus brief, “The significance of this case goes beyond any firearm accessory and gun rights.” He added, “No federal agency should be able to create criminal code without Congressional authorization.”
Knudsen explained, “The Supreme Court must take up this important case to uphold the rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment and affirm this important check on the federal executive’s power.”
The attorneys general also stated in their amicus brief that the ATF’s regulation of bump-stock accessories, “Effectively transforms commonly owned firearms into banned machine guns simply because of the use of non-mechanical bump-stock accessories.”
They warn, “This interpretation categorically expands the text of the criminal statute in a way that Congress couldn’t possibly have intended.”
The issue of the Second Amendment has become controversial in recent years as the federal government continually infringes on the rights of the American people. However, as Americans have become increasingly concerned with the rising crime under the Biden administration, gun sales continue to skyrocket.
