The war on the Second Amendment has taken a more clandestine route under the Biden administration. The recent revocation of hundreds of gun dealer licenses has not just raised eyebrows, but has intensified the sentiment among dealers that they are under siege, singled out as political pawns.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), in a stunning revelation by the Wall Street Journal, revoked the licenses of 122 gun dealers during the most recent fiscal year. For some perspective, this number stood at 90 the year prior and a mere 27 in 2021. It’s worth noting that neither the Trump nor Obama presidencies saw cancellations reaching triple digits. What’s changed?
Many of those in the trenches of the gun industry are sounding the alarm, asserting that minor paperwork discrepancies, which were once treated with leniency, are now being weaponized for political gain. This, they believe, is all in an attempt to further President Biden’s vision of curbing gun violence – by arguably targeting the wrong crowd.
The communists never target the criminals who misuse guns to commit crimes. They go after the guns instead. I used to think they did this because they were a bunch of dopes, but I have since changed my belief. Now, I believe they do this intentionally to go after law-abiding gun owners in an effort to kill the Second Amendment via death a thousand cuts of slimy police work like what’s going on now with FFLs.
Take the case of Anthony Navarro, a gun dealer who experienced a precipitous drop in his revenue from a whopping $1 million annually to under $100,000. His crime? Three warnings for legal infractions spanning over a decade. Navarro candidly points out that while there were warnings about paperwork hiccups from gun buyers, it didn’t stop them from acquiring guns legally. He, rather boldly, calls this policy “a backdoor violation of the Second Amendment.”
But here’s the clincher: many of these gun dealers, who have seemingly become the ‘villains’ overnight, were once allies to federal authorities. They were the eyes and ears, routinely offering crucial information on suspicious gun purchasers. But now, this symbiotic relationship stands on rocky grounds. As the retired deputy assistant director Peter Forcelli puts it, “Why are we now beating an ally into submission?”
VISIT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNELThe ATF’s response? A rather cookie-cutter statement, emphasizing their adherence to the law. ATF Spokesperson Kristina Mastropasqua comments that while Federal Firearms Licensees do play a pivotal role in preventing gun crimes, those that violate the law “must be held accountable.”
But the bigger question remains: Is the Biden administration’s approach to curbing gun violence by coming down hard on dealers the right solution, or is this just another manifestation of a political agenda? Only time will tell.
