Marjorie Taylor Greene made headlines recently with her “Abolish the ATF” Bill, HR3960. Problem is, it does nothing to promote freedom for gun owners. It essentially transfers existing ATF powers to the Department of Justice, or the FBI.
Even if this Bill had a chance of passing in Congress, would this ultimately change anything for the better?
Here are a few sections which prove the point.
[Page 25]
(1) REPEAL OF NATIONAL FIREARMS ACT.—
2 Chapter 53 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is
3 hereby repealed.
4 (2) REPEAL OF FIREARMS AND AMMUNITION
5 EXCISE TAX.—Part III of subchapter D of chapter
6 32 of such Code is hereby repealed.
7 (3) Section 6103(i)(8)(A)(i) of such Code (26
8 U.S.C. 6103(i)(8)(A)) is amended by striking ‘‘the
9 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explo-
10 sives’’ and all that follows through ‘‘Department of
11 the Treasury’’ and inserting ‘‘or the Department of
12 Justice’’.
[Page 25/26]
15 (1) Each of the following provisions of law is
16 amended by striking ‘‘Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
17 Firearms and Explosives,’’ each place it appears and
18 inserting ‘‘Department of Justice’’:
19 (A) Section 530C(b)(2) of title 28, United
20 States Code.
21 (B) Section 207 of division B of the Con-
22 solidated and Further Continuing Appropria-
23 tions Act, 2013 (28 U.S.C. 533 note).
(C) Section 207 of division B of the Con-
2 solidated and Further Continuing Appropria-
3 tions Act, 2012 (28 U.S.C. 533 note).
4 (D) Section 207 of division B of the Con-
5 solidated Appropriations Act, 2010 (28 U.S.C.
6 533 note).
7 (E) Section 207 of division B of the Omni-
8 bus Appropriations Act, 2009 (28 U.S.C. 533
9 note).
10 (F) Section 207 of division B of the Con-
11 solidated Appropriations Act, 2008 (28 U.S.C.
12 533 note).
13 (G) Section 107 of title I of the Consoli
14 dated and Further Continuing Appropriations
15 Act, 2013 (28 U.S.C. 533 note).
16 (H) Section 116 of title I of the Science,
17 State, Justice, Commerce, and Related Agencies
18 Appropriations Act, 2006 (28 U.S.C. 533 note).
19 (2) Section 1151(c) of title XI of the Consoli-
20 dated and Further Continuing Appropriation
[Page 27/28]
8 (4) Section 2006(2) of title 28, United States
9 Code, is amended by striking ‘‘, the Director, Bu-
10 reau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives,
11 Department of Justice,’’.
12 (n) AMENDMENTS TO TITLE 31, UNITED STATES
13 CODE.—
14 (1)(A) Section 713 of title 31, United States
15 Code, is amended—
16 (i) in the section heading, by striking
17 ‘‘Service, Tax and Trade Bureau, and
18 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Fire-
19 arms, and Explosives’’ and inserting
20 ‘‘Service and Department of Justice’’;
21 (ii) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘and the
22 Tax and Trade Bureau’’ and all that follows
23 though ‘‘Department of Justice of the Depart-
24 ment of the Treasury’’ and inserting ‘‘and so
25 much of the Department of Justice as relates to
1 the administration and enforcement of provi-
2 sions transferred under the Brian A. Terry Me-
3 morial Eliminate the ATF Act’’ ; and
4 (iii) in subsection (b)—
5 (I) in each of paragraphs (1), (2), and
6 (3), by striking ‘‘either Bureau’’ and in-
7 serting ‘‘the Department’’; and
8 (II) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘,
9 the Tax and Trade Bureau, Department of
10 the Treasury, and the Director of the Bu-
11 reau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and
12 Explosives, Department of Justice’’ and in-
13 serting ‘‘and the Department of Jus
Read the entire Bill. From the looks of things, this was just a publicity stunt. Simply transferring powers from the ATF to the Department of Justice addresses none of the problems Greene claimed to care about.
If you ever needed a reason not to trust a Q-Anon supporter, this is it. They will say all the right things, but will never deliver anything meaningful. Then again, some people will just broadcast it without actually reading it, though others will call this out.
(1) https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3960/text?r=1&s=4
(2) https://greene.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/greene.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/Eliminate%20ATF%20Act%20HR%203960%20Bill%20Text.pdf
(3) Eliminate ATF Act HR 3960 Bill Text
(4) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEJvFFW8QAc
(5) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7zkRHzwP_g