The Biden administration‘s newly released regulations about “pistol–stabilizing braces,” has instantly ignited a firestorm of controversy among gun control advocates and Second Amendment defenders alike.
The new regulations will “turn tens of thousands of law–abiding Americans into felons“ and have prompted the creation of a national rifle registry, according to gun rights groups.
The stabilizing braces for pistols were originally designed to help wounded and disabled veterans who may have lost the use of part of their hands to more easily hold handguns, allowing them to be better defended against criminals. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) approved the braces during the Obama administration under the leadership of Steven Dettelbach, a controversial gun control advocate who was later confirmed as director of the ATF at the time.
Despite the steadfast support of Democrats who have proclaimed their defense of the Second Amendment, such as Sens. Jon Tester of Montana and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, the Biden administration has drastically altered the ATF‘s original policy. According to the revised regulation, any foreign–made pistols with stabilizing braces now violate the law and are retroactively considered rifles, meaning registration or removal of the brace won‘t bring it into compliance.
The only two options left to citizens are the destruction of the gun or its surrender to ATF, regardless of whether the gun ever had a brace attached to it. Additionally, the ATF isn‘t authorized to make up laws in order to redefine what a rifle is and their policy doesn‘t account for the same gun having a brace added or removed.
The change came after President Joe Biden cited a crime in 2021 in Colorado as the basis for banning the gun. Ahmed Al Alwi murdered ten people in a Boulder grocery store with a pistol stabilizing brace, and in 2019 Connor Betts committed a similar act in Dayton, Ohio. Although both shooters demonstrated their ability to fire their guns at close range, there‘s no proof that the brace made any difference in their attacks. Furthermore, the disabled community has yet to see any surge in crime by those using braces.
Ultimately, the costs of the new regulations won‘t be felt by criminals, but rather the disabled Americans who will now lack their traditional tool for self–defense and their families. But regardless, the Biden administration and the mainstream media continue to exaggerate the costs while ignoring the benefits these braces have provided to countless disabled veterans and citizens.
