Earlier this month, I joined Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) in asking the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Acting Director Marvin Richardson to explain the sudden change in ATF’s definition of a silencer which now places increased restrictions on Americans attempting to lawfully make their own silencers.
ATF has a long-held policy of requiring individuals to first file a Form 1 application, undergo a rigorous background check, and pay the $200 fee before receiving approval to build their own silencers.
The ATF is now denying Form 1 requests from law-abiding citizens on the basis of not having received prior approval to own the building materials which they plan to use. This is shocking as the federal government has previously argued in court that a potato used as a silencer, was in fact a silencer under federal law.
Under the new ATF definition, anyone with a potato in their home is in possession of silencer parts without authorization – a serious felony.
Americans rightfully fear that they could face punishments of up to 10 years in prison and $250,000 in fines for attempting to exercise their Second Amendment rights. The ATF’s continued assault of Americans’ rights is an overstep of their authority and I will continue to fight in Washington for the Constitutional right to keep and bear arms, which “shall not be infringed.”
Congressman Daniel Webster represents The Villages in the U.S. House of Representatives.