Government shutdown puts gun ownership at risk, House Republicans warn

A coalition of 30 House Republicans is expressing concerns regarding the effects of the government shutdown on gun owners throughout the United States.

Led by Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., the group sent a letter to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) on Thursday, requesting the acting director to consider certain employees as essential workers. They pointed out that the current criteria have left many gun owners’ applications for specific items in a state of uncertainty.

“Due to this Democrat-initiated shutdown, the ATF, like many other federal agencies, is functioning with a diminished workforce. While Democrats prioritize benefits for undocumented immigrants, the rights of law-abiding Americans are being compromised,” the letter, first reported by Fox News Digital, stated.

“Federal law stipulates that Second Amendment rights cannot be fully exercised without the involvement of the federal government. This unfortunate situation is not aligned with the intent of the Framers,” it continued.

The shutdown has reached its 17th day, with both parties still at an impasse regarding federal funding.

This situation has resulted in thousands of federal employees being furloughed and a vast range of federal services being suspended. Shutdowns compel federal agencies to triage their operations, determining which workers and services are deemed “essential” and must continue with limited or no compensation, along with what to completely halt.

Consequently, a substantial portion of the ATF’s non-law enforcement personnel has been furloughed, leading to a backlog in the processing of new and renewed civilian federal firearms licenses, as reported by the Firearm Industry Trade Association.

“As you are aware, National Firearms Act (NFA) application examiners are among the ATF staff currently furloughed. This situation prevents Americans from acquiring widely sought NFA-regulated firearms and safety equipment, such as short-barreled rifles and silencers, since the ATF is unable to process these applications at this moment,” the letter from House Republicans stated.

“NFA application approvals are intrinsically linked to the execution of the President’s constitutional responsibilities. The President of the United States is tasked with safeguarding and upholding the Constitution, which encompasses the Second Amendment,” the correspondence added.

The legislators also contended that the halt in ATF processing due to the shutdown could threaten the safety and property of the American public, citing similar situations from past shutdowns when the ATF ceased processing NFA applications.

“During these periods of indefinite delays, ATF has restricted Americans’ access to regulated firearms. The inability to acquire firearms inherently limits Americans’ capacity to defend themselves, their families, and their possessions,” the lawmakers noted.

“As Acting ATF Director, you possess considerable authority to designate which ATF roles are classified as ‘excepted’ during a funding lapse, as dictated by DOJ’s contingency framework, OMB and OPM guidelines, and the lawful parameters that govern operations during a shutdown,” they concluded.

Fox News Digital reached out to the ATF for a statement but had not received a reply at the time of publication.