Republican Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia sent a letter Monday to House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Rep. Kay Granger informing her they plan to use the Holman Rule to defund the Office of the Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in the next available appropriations period.
The Daily Caller first obtained a copy of the letter, in which the two GOP lawmakers slam the ATF and explain why they intend to use the Holman Rule to defund the director. The Holman Rule permits amendments to appropriations legislation that would cut the salary of or fire certain federal employees, or otherwise eliminate specific programs.
“The ATF has even made it a matter of official policy to shut down gun stores by making perfection the standard in record keeping – a standard the ATF itself could not meet,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter. “Since the Biden Administration has announced its new ‘zero tolerance’ policy in 2021, Federal Firearms Licensees have faced the highest revocation rate in 16 years. This policy has effectively become the death penalty for even the most innocent of clerical errors.”
“The ATF has shown itself incapable of operating within the confines of its statutory authority, and we must force a change,” they added. “Hence, I write to inform you that I intend to use the Holman Rule to defund the Office of the Director of the ATF in the next available appropriations period.”
READ THE LETTER HERE:
(DAILY CALLER OBTAINED) — … by Henry Rodgers
Both Gaetz and Greene have called to abolish the ATF in the past. Greene introduced legislation in June 2021 that would abolish the ATF if signed into law. The Daily Caller first obtained the legislation, entitled the Brian A. Terry Memorial Eliminate the ATF Act. The bill was named after Marine and Border Patrol agent Brian Terry, who was killed in a gunfight after a group of armed men attempted to rob smugglers transporting drugs from Mexico to the U.S. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Marjorie Taylor Greene To Introduce Legislation That Would Abolish The ATF)
In January, Gaetz introduced legislation to abolish the ATF after they enacted a rule making pistol stabilizing braces illegal for anyone without a certain license. (RELATED: Matt Gaetz Calls To Abolish The ATF After Agency Issues Rule Allegedly Making It Harder For Certain People To Buy Guns)
The legislation, entitled the Abolish the ATF Act, aimed to totally eliminate the ATF immediately after being enacted. Gaetz introduced the bill after the ATF announced they would make gun owners face the possibility of being charged with a felony if they do not register their firearms with the stabilizing braces.
Gaetz is hosting a Congressional Field Hearing on Monday at the Okaloosa County Administrative Complex in Shalimar, Florida, regarding the ATF’s targeting of Federal Firearms Licenses (FFL).