WASHINGTON, D.C. –-(Ammoland.com)- According to a leak supplied by Gun Owners of America (GOA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) has finished reviewing all public comments received for pistol stabilizing braces and unfinished receivers. The Free Beacon released the cover sheet. AmmoLand News has obtained the rest of the document.
AmmoLand News reported earlier that two teams of 50 ATF employees started the review process for both sets of comments on October 1, 2021. The ATF received just under 300,000 for unfinished frames and receivers. Pistol stabilizing braces came in at 50,000 fewer at just over 250,000.
The Documents proving that the ATF processed all submitted comments were verified by GOA about two weeks ago. The documents state that the total number of comments submitted by the public was 500,000, which is 50,000 comments less than submitted to the National Registry. That means 50 ATF employees processed 500,000 to 550,000 comments at an incredible rate.
After the Trump era bump stock rule change, the ATF developed a new system to process comments for future rule changes, but details on the new process remain murky. These two new proposed rules were the first test of the ATF’s new system for processing public comments.
The number of comments breaks down to 10,000 comments reviewed per ATF employee.
Given that the ATF claims it finished reviewing all the comments, it means each employee processed a minimum of 1,000 comments a day if each employee worked five days a week. If the ATF employees worked the standard eight-hour shift, it would mean each employee processed 125 comments per hour. If each employee would receive two hours of overtime each day, it means they would have to process 100 comments an hour.
It is theoretically possible to process 100 comments an hour due to the number of form letters received from pro-gun and anti-gun groups. AmmoLand News set up a test where we read comments, and we were able to get through 96 comments an hour. We read each comment during the time period and clicked a button to mark it as positive or negative. During the reading, we did not take any breaks. It is the author’s opinion that it would be doubtful anyone would be able to keep up that pace over an eight-hour day. The employees could have worked six days a week, but AmmoLand sources claim that the employees worked a standard five-day workweek.
AmmoLand News could not obtain the exact number of comments against the proposed rules and those for the new regulations. Our sources within the ATF tell us that the majority of the submitted comments were against the new rules. A FOIA is being filed to try to get more information.
The ATF’s next step is to take the input from the comments to help craft the new rules or keep the rules the same. The rules are expected to be released by the end of January. Gun rights groups have vowed to fight any new regulations through the courts.
Gun Owners of America have been working with companies like JSD Supply to prepare for a case like the gun rights group’s bump stock lawsuit that was argued in front of the United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals on October 20, 2021. A decision in Gun Owners of America v. Garland is expected soon.
The ATF did not return AmmoLand’s request for comment.
About John Crump
John is a NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. John has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss, or at www.crumpy.com.
We all know that they are going to do whatever they want because that is what tyrants do. They don’t listen to the people unless heads roll. So,they will do what they want and you just best be willing to do what you want. The scholar of history and the keen student of human nature observes that there are no examples of populations that enjoyed peace, prosperity and freedom once disarmed and rendered helpless. The singular truth is that disarmed populations inevitably fall prey to the rancid process of humiliation, degradation and butchery. Countless examples attest to this. Do not… Read more »
You have presented an excellent essay.
Thank Ivan. He sure can write. And as a public speaker, he is amazing.
Excellent. It’s why 9 of 10 in a resistance group are Agents. Lots of ’em lurking on AmmoLand pretending to be loyal Americans, but they can’t help themselves from making excuses for “qualified” immunity, dv anyone who says the names of their victims, make excuses for “LEOs” who Just Follow Orders etc.
Among the worst Supreme Court decisions are those that allowed for legislation via non-elected regulators. Nothing in the constitution provides for or alludes to such a system.
Included among their horrible decisions was, in 1967, the decision to create a modest exception to the Civil Rights Act by giving qualified immunity for LE officers.
It has turned into not-so-qualified immunity and has resulted in arrogant abuse of “civilian” rights. A certain percentage of enforcers laugh at “civilians” as they abuse their rights knowing their agency and union will protect them from criminal charges and not-so-qualified immunity will protect them from civil suits.
They might get an unflattering comment in their annual review though, so we have that going for us . . . which is nice.
But … but … 42 USC 1983! And … and … it doesn’t look good for promotions if they’re “caught” violating rights! Right?
Never underestimate the emotional impact of a sternly worded memo.
Nor does Congress have authority to create it, nor any member of the federal government. It is an entirely illegitimate organization that exists solely to infringe on our rights.
ATF used to be part of the Treasury Dept. The Sec. Treas., by memo, created them as a work unit, delegating collection of alcohol taxes and enforcement of the NFA to them.
BATFE has grown themselves from there and been transferred to DHS.
You, both, are correct to look at their origins, so that we can find the easiest way t get rid of them.
No act of Congress created BATFE, so no act of Congress protects the existence of BATFE. All it would take to get rid of BATFE is another memo … from the right fed gov official
https://www.supremelaw.org/cc/gilberts/usdc/judnot06.htm The BATF (later to become the BATFE) was created by Republicans. Charls Edward Walker was born in Graham, Texas. He was no simple tax accountant. He received a PhD in Economics from the same place where Trump received his education. Charls was the Under Secretary of the Treasury from 1969 to 1972. In 1971 and 1972, he worked for John Connally (who worked for Nixon). Charls was a Republican. John Connally was born in Floresville, Texas. He was Secretary of the Treasury February 11, 1971 – June 12, 1972. He was Deputy Secretary of the Treasury in 1973. John was a Republican. While the… Read more »
Treasury Department Order 221 “The functions, powers, and duties relating to alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives were transferred from the Internal Revenue Service to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms” Birth of ATF Under Director Rex Davis, ATF becomes an independent Bureau on July 1, 1972, reporting directly to the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Enforcement, Tariff and Trade Affairs, and Operations. ATF’s jurisdiction increases through new legislation such as the Gun Control Act of 1968, Title VII of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Street Act of 1968 and Title XI of the Organized Crime Control Act… Read more »
Davis was the first Director. Walker created it.
The link I posted contains the language Wild Bill has used:
“On June 6, 1972, Acting Secretary of the Treasury Charles [sic] E. Walker signed Treasury Order Number 120-01 which established theBureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. He did this with thestroke of his pen, citing ‘by virtue of the authority vested inme as Secretary of the Treasury, including the authority inReorganization Plan No. 26 of 1950.'”
Forget the labeling of these people as “Republicans” or “Democrats” or “Libertarians” and realize they all need to be put under one label…PSYCHOPATHIC CONTROL FREAKS! Normal people don’t want the “job”.
We have a few people here who still view Republicans as the saviors.
Each & every gun control rule or law is un Constitutional including any proposed rule as well as the BATF or as Brandon refers to them as the AFT.
“Processed”? When I was in the military, we called it “shit canning”.
Fifty employees! That can read! Why do they even have fifty employees?
Maybe they ALL took that speed reading class? Rights are not subject to LEGAL or ILLEGAL whims of government employees nor by those in the legislature, nor the presidency, nor the judicial branch of government. We are granted the RIGHT to keep and bear arms by the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY and this is further written into law as our constitution. A well regulated militia, being necessary to the free state, the RIGHT of the people to keep and bear arms SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED. The 2A. Each free American citizen is considered the militia. Militia denotes the use of military… Read more »
^^^^^^^^^^^YEP!
Sure, they “processed” them, telling a computer to summarize comments or gauge negative vs positive. They sure as sh1t didnt read them, as required by law.
The ATF read them as good as the members of Congress read the Infrastructure Bill (or any thousand plus page bill).
And that, @nod is a crime every rep and senator deserves prison for, at the least. Every single one has voted multiple times for a bill they did not read, having no true idea what all was buried in the 2,000+ pages. They must be removed from office for that, and held accountable.
Typical of what all Federal agencies do when processing, “Administrative Law”. First the agency administrators make up a new “need” to better oversee and manage the public within their area of influence and write up the new regulation. Then, the new proposed regulation is published in the Federal Register for 30 to 90 days and requests comments from the public (do you know anyone outside the Federal government that even knows what the Federal Register is, much less receives it or even knows where to find it?). After receiving public comments, they are “reviewed” (filtered by the agency and only… Read more »
The KGB and its highly unionized work force have strict rules on work breaks and lunch breaks. No one works fast or efficient. The game is to take the longest time they can get away with to do a job. I worked in a union shop long ago and was frequently warned I work too fast and must never work thru breaks or lunch no matter how important the work. Knowing this its absurd to believe human eyes read every comment. They either used computers to read and score or they skipped 50 % of the comments. COME ON MAN.… Read more »
What, another puff piece about how great the ATF is?
This is actually funny because some FOIA requests for documents can lag on at least months, and sometimes for years, with the ATF claiming (even in court) they lack the manpower to produce 100 or 1000 pages. LOL. SMH.
Do you not recognize sarcasm?
Throwing doubt on the BATFE’s claim that they reviewed all the comments is a ‘puff piece about how great the ATF is’?
so give me the numbers of supporting votes and against votes. is that available?
my guess would be something like the last presidential election count.
Apparently those who work for the ATF are functional illiterates who can’t read and comprehend SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED.
$83,000,000,000 in weapons and equipment to the Taliban = just fine; but you put the wrong piece of plastic on your semi-auto =10 years in prison.
They weren’t reading the comments, they were collecting the names.
If you made a comment, hide your dog
Evidently, according to Ammoland’s title/intro of this article, they have the same problem as Pres. Biden, confusing the ATF with the AFT (American Federation of Teachers). I’ sure those teachers don’t want to grade an extra 500,000 homework assignments.
Is there any sort of maintenance process that verifies information gathered by the ATF, is not moved to agencies outside of the ATF? About thirty yrs.ago, the ATF requested funding for a national firearms registry. Not only was the request denied, but an amount of money equal to the request, was subtracted from their current budget. I don’t remember any questions, at that time, concerning the sanctity or security of the information held by the ATF. I can however, imagine the value of that information, if it was used to supply arms to “useful idiots” through targeted burglaries. That would… Read more »
Seems like this was the cause of Waco going big, so the atfe could “prove” their worth and necessity. About 79 innocent people died as a result of this, men, women, children and babies. They could have grabbed Koresh in town that AM but they chose instead to go as public as possible even when they knew the dividians were on to them. It’s not every day you see 79 people murdered on live, national television. I doubt I will ever forget it. I hope not. Not one agent was prosecuted.
Arm up and carry on
In between the lines of the 2nd amendment. The founding fathers realized that the 2nd amendment had to be flexible. So when they wrote the inbetween the lines shit you need an electron microscope to read it. They were thinking ahead.
That’s a lie because many of my comments required studies to be conducted or checked out to verify if their position or the Cobstitution was correct.
They haven’t had time to conduct Saud studies.
good to hear companies like JSD are going to join the fight if needed
No great shock that the dedicated public servants at ATF were able to get through around 100-130 comments per hour. And, no, I’m not even being sarcastic. 1) With that onslaught of comments, they probably did no more than GOA did and just sorted the comments as FOR or AGAINST. 2) As noted in the article, the vast majority of the comments were probably copy&paste form letters provided by organizations like GOA and Everytown. 3) Normal procedures for reviewing comments allow discarding any comments containing profanity. Many of the AGAINST comments that weren’t form letters could have been disqualified for… Read more »