FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

July 25, 2023 

Washington, D.C. — Yesterday, Gun Owners of America (GOA) and the Gun Owners Foundation (GOF) led a coalition of fourteen nonprofit organizations in filing an amicus brief with the Supreme Court seeking to rein in the excessive power of administrative agencies, including the ATF.

This fall, the Court will reconsider a 1984 decision that established Chevron deference when it hears Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo. This precedent requires federal judges to defer to bureaucrats in administrative agencies when promulgating rules and regulations under vague Congressional statutes.

In the brief, GOA and GOF argue Chevron is unconstitutional because it vests legislative and judicial power within executive branch agencies. In turn these powers, which were designed to be separate, are often used to strip Americans of their freedoms when in the hands of the executive branch.

In litigating challenges to ATF’s regulation banning bump stocks as machineguns, GOA and GOF have fought against courts wanting to apply Chevron deference. This amicus brief demonstrates that federal agencies cannot be trusted to operate in the public interest, especially when they are being used by the Biden Administration to pursue an unconstitutional and relentless anti-gun agenda.

Erich Pratt, GOA’s Senior Vice President, issued the following statement:      

“Joe Biden – and his predecessors – used the wide authority given to them by Chevron Deference to go after law-abiding gun owners on several different occasions. Americans have had enough of one man with a pen going after our constitutionally guaranteed rights, and we urge the Court to reverse Chevron.” 

Sam Paredes, on behalf of the Board for GOF, added: 

“The Court’s Chevron precedent has been an utter disaster for Second Amendment rights, and we are excited to highlight this to the Court via this brief. We hope they will realize the errors of the past and return the major decision-making authority squarely where it belongs: with the people’s elected representatives.” 

GOA spokesmen are available for interviews.  Gun Owners of America is a nonprofit grassroots lobbying organization dedicated to protecting the right to keep and bear arms without compromise. GOA represents over two million members and activists. For more information, visit GOA’s Press Center. 

-GOA-