In January, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) proposed that the importation of many shotguns be prohibited. In a report titled a Study on the Importability of Certain Shotguns, the BATFE found that “certain shotgun features are not particularly suitable or readily adapted for sporting purposes,” including:
- Folding, telescoping or collapsible stocks
- Bayonet lugs
- Flash suppressors
- Magazines over five rounds, or a drum magazine
- Grenade-launcher mounts
- Integrated rail systems
- Light-enhancing devices
- Excessive weight
- Excessive bulk
- Forward pistol grip
Shotguns containing any of these features are classified by the BATFE as “military shotguns, or shotguns with common military features that are unsuitable for traditional shotgun sports.”
So where does the government find the authority to ban any firearms without the consent of Congress? The 1968 Gun Control Act states that the Attorney General must approve the importation of any firearm “generally recognized as particularly suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes.”
This unconstitutional so-called “sporting purposes” test has been used by presidents of both parties to ban the importation of millions of firearms and is reminiscent of the 1994 Clinton gun ban, which banned many semi-automatic firearms that contained certain cosmetic features. Read more
Source: Gun Owners of America
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