Ricketts Backs Measure to Protect 2nd Amendment Rights of Disabled Veterans

June 22, 2023

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) released the following statement after voting for a Congressional Review Act resolution to block enforcement of an anti-Second Amendment pistol brace rule issued by President Biden’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) earlier this year. Ricketts is a co-sponsor of the Congressional Review Act resolution, which was originally introduced by Senator John Kennedy (R-LA).

“Our right to keep and bear arms is a fundamental constitutional right and the Biden administration’s attacks on law-abiding gun owners must end,” said Senator Ricketts. “This misguided and illegal rule reverses a decade of rulings that millions of Americans have relied on, including disabled combat veterans who use braces to more safely handle a firearm. I proudly voted to block this rule today and will continue to oppose any attempt to dismantle our cherished freedoms.”

The rule, entitled “Factoring Criteria for Firearms with Attached Stabilizing Braces,” reclassifies pistols as short-barreled rifles if they have a stabilizing brace attachment, even though many disabled veterans and millions of other Americans rely on these braces to use their firearms. Under this rule, which took effect on January 31st, 2023, otherwise lawful gun owners could face up to 10 years in jail and thousands of dollars in fines if they fail to register pistols with stabilizing braces with the ATF. If gun owners do not register their firearms, they would have to destroy the firearm, surrender their firearm to the ATF or remove the brace in such a way that it cannot be reattached. Last week, a federal judge issued a ruling temporarily blocking the rule, but Congressional action would block it permanently.

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