Comment on FR Doc # 2026-09159
Ray PadgettSupportAdvocacy
Summary: The commenter, representing Gun Owners of America (GOA), supports the proposed rule defining "willfully" for firearms violations. They argue that the rule is a necessary step toward protecting firearms dealers from aggressive enforcement and preserving Second Amendment rights.
The Biden Administration’s ATF “Zero Tolerance” policy was one of the most aggressive attacks on federally licensed firearms dealers in recent history.
This rule weaponized federal code against firearms dealers, turning misspellings on paperwork into license revocations. The goal was clear, force gun stores out of business and make it harder for law-abiding Americans to exercise their Second Amendment rights. Under Biden, license revocations increased over 500%, leading to the highest number of FFLs closing in two decades.
But thanks to a change at ATF under President Trump and ATF Director Robert Cekada, the zero tolerance policy has been rescinded. Now, the ATF has proposed a rule which targets the foundational reason that Biden could create the zero tolerance rule in the first place, the legal definition of “willfully.”
The proposed rule isn’t perfect, but it’s a step in the right direction, and we need to strengthen it. That’s why we’re calling on all GOA members to make their voices heard and submit our model comment to ATF.