THIS WEEK IN THE FIGHT

Here’s what you may have missed this week in the fight for the Second Amendment…

• Biden’s “Ghost Gun” rule was struck down by the courts. GOA’s case against it is still active.

• Gun shops are passing ATF inspections after selling suppressors with no registration.

• A foreign ransomware gang hacked ATF.

A federal judge struck down the ghost gun rule. Our case is still in the fight.

On August 17, Judge Reed O’Connor threw out the Biden rule that treated unfinished chunks of plastic or metal as complete firearms.

The Judge decided that the rule violates the Second Amendment, and that it was too vague to be legal on top of that.

The rule could not say when a block of material becomes a gun. It gave ATF a list of factors and let the agency decide case by case. Individuals were expected to guess, and guessing wrong is a felony.  

Credit where it belongs. That case was brought by Defense Distributed and the Second Amendment Foundation, and they earned it. Two things to keep straight. The judge’s order protects the people in that lawsuit, and the government can still take it to the Fifth Circuit.

We have been fighting the same rule since 2022. Our case is Morehouse Enterprises v. ATF, filed in North Dakota with a gun shop standing beside us as co-plaintiff.

That case also takes aim at ATF’s registry of gun owners. Hold onto that last part because it comes back at the bottom of this email.

Gun shops are passing ATF inspections after selling suppressors with no registration.

When a federal district judge in Texas ruled in GOA’s favor in our NFA case, gun shops across the country gained protection under the injunction by becoming GOA Corporate Members.

As a result, these dealers have been able to sell suppressors using the same background check form required for a rifle purchase. No Form 4. No federal registration.

Four of those shops have now been inspected by ATF. All four came out clean, with zero violations. The inspectors did not treat the sales as violations, because of the court order.

*That does not mean ATF has formally endorsed or approved these sales. ATF has not issued any public guidance on the matter.*

This information came from people in the industry—not from ATF itself. GOA asked ATF for something in writing weeks ago, but we have received nothing in response—not even an acknowledgment that our inquiry was received.

Keep in mind that if you are not covered by the court order, none of this applies to you. The injunction protects GOA members and the customers of the companies involved in the lawsuit—in those states which do not ban NFA items. Everyone else remains outside the injunction’s protection.

If you are an FFL, consult an attorney licensed in your state before changing the way you operate your shop. 

BECOME A CORPORATE MEMBER!

Keep an eye on this one. A ransomware gang hit ATF.

A Russian ransomware crew called Qilin claimed ATF as a victim last Wednesday. The bureau confirmed it the same day. The agency says the machine that got hit was a standalone system holding information on people ATF was investigating, and that it was not connected to eForms or its other systems. Justice Department officials labeled it a major incident, which is a formal designation that requires them to notify Congress.

Early word from inside ATF is that gun owner records were not taken. We hope that holds. But nobody has verified what the hackers walked away with, and the gang has not shown its hand yet.

Here is the part that should stick with you. ATF sits on files covering roughly a billion guns and gun owners, including paperwork from shops that closed years ago. Every one of those records is a target.

This is why GOA is calling on President Trump to delete ATF’s illegal digital gun registry. And we are also calling on Congress to pass the No REGISTRY Rights Act by Rep. Michael Cloud and Senator Jim Risch to certify the registry’s complete destruction.

HELP STOP ATF’s REGISTRY!

P.S., we’ve partnered with our friends at GoatGuns to bring you a limited edition 1911 celebrating GOA’s 50th anniversary! 

Proceeds from the sales of this product go to supporting GOA in our mission to fight for the Second Amendment!

SUPPORT GOA, BUY A GOAT GUN!

If you aren’t already, please consider becoming a GOA member so that we can fight on your behalf! And consider also making it a repeating yearly contribution so that you will always stay covered by our lawsuit injunctions.