Opinion
WASHINGTON, D.C. — NSSF®, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, proudly honored U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) as the 2023 NSSF Legislator of the Year for his persistent pursuit of accountability of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Biden administration for unconstitutional attacks on the firearm industry and the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.
Congressman Jordan is the Chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee and is a member of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee. In these roles, Chairman Jordan has exposed the abusive policies forced by the Biden administration through the DOJ and ATF to attack the firearm and ammunition industry. He has demanded answers for Executive Branch overreach that has infringed on the lawful commerce in arms and the ability of Americans to freely purchase the firearms they choose to own in the exercise of their Second Amendment rights.
“We are honored to present Chairman Jordan with the 2023 NSSF Legislator of the Year Award for his unwavering leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives to protect the firearm and ammunition industry and the growing community of gun owners,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel.
“Chairman Jordan’s dogged determination for accountability from agencies within the Executive Branch have reasserted Congress’s role in the balance of authority between the three co-equal branches of government and has served as a backstop against an administration intent on decimating the firearm and ammunition industry. Our industry, and the American public, is deeply grateful for Chairman Jordan’s fierce determination to protect the Second Amendment rights of all Americans and the industry that makes the exercise of those rights possible.”
Chairman Jordan chastised ATF Director Steven Dettelbach for overstepping his authority when the bureau imposed new regulations on “stabilizing braces” in a 2023 hearing. Chairman Jordan told Director Dettelbach that the policy “turns law-abiding gun owners into felons as a result of unelected bureaucrats simply enacting a new regulation.”
Chairman Jordan added in that hearing, “That’s not how it’s supposed to work. In our great country, Congress writes the laws and the executive branch enforces them. Here, the executive branch has taken power from Congress in deciding what the law should be … Director Dettelbach has, in essence, become a one-man Congress.”
The ATF’s stabilizing pistol brace rule has been enjoined nationally by a federal court judge in Texas. Several challenges to the ATF rule have been consolidated and are pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Chairman Jordan also demanded answers from Director Dettelbach on the ATF’s “zero-tolerance” policy that has seen firearm retailers lose their licenses and livelihoods for unintentional administrative errors. Chairman Jordan further demanded answers from Director Dettelbach on why the ATF proposed a new “engaged in the business” rule that would require near-universal background checks for firearm transfers when Congress specifically rejected the idea.
Chairman Jordan’s investigation into the Weaponization of the Federal Government uncovered the collusion between the FBI, DOJ, U.S. Treasury Department, and private banks to violate the Fourth Amendment rights of gun purchasers by creating a watchlist of potential “violent domestic terrorists” simply for exercising their Second Amendment rights. Chairman Jordan’s investigations exposed Bank of America’s voluntary disclosure of private financial transactions at firearm and ammunition retailers, purchase records, and private data to the FBI without a warrant or notification to the bank’s customers. That investigation revealed that Citibank was also complicit in warrantless searches.
Chairman Jordan’s investigations continue. Just last month, he castigated the Biden administration in a hearing on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, explaining the Executive Branch illegally spied on Americans’ lawful gun purchases because they were politically out of step with The White House’s gun control agenda.
“And… and if you’re a gun owner, look out,” Chairman Jordan said. “You’re going to the top of the list. For simply exercising your Second Amendment right, you’re on the FBI’s target list. Never forget, the federal government got this information without any process. No warrant and frankly, no notification.”
He added, “Since then, we’ve learned that the financial surveillance was broader, and there was actually a specific objective. The federal government is building profiles on the American people. And the profile isn’t based on criminal conduct. It’s based on political beliefs, and if you’ve got the wrong political beliefs, well, you’re a potentially violent domestic extremist.”
About The National Shooting Sports Foundation
NSSF is the trade association for the firearm industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearm retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations, and publishers nationwide. For more information, visit nssf.org
