From November 07, 2022 post.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) are demanding answers from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) after receiving reports that licensed firearm businesses across the country, including in Iowa, are being forced to forfeit their federal firearms licenses (FFL) due to minor paperwork mistakes. In their letter to the ATF, the Iowa senators note these mistakes were easily fixable in the past. Now, instead of prioritizing public safety as violent crime rates soar, Grassley and Ernst express concern that the agency seems more focused on shutting down businesses and infringing on the Second Amendment.

“While we understand and support regular compliance checks, revoking FFL licenses based on minor clerical errors appears to be focused on shutting down businesses rather than improving public safety. These types of revocations are distracting the ATF from the more necessary work of combating violent crime while the United States continues to suffer from an unprecedented surge in murders,” the senators wrote.

 

Last year, President Biden directed the Justice Department to adopt a zero-tolerance policy to revoke FFLs from businesses that committed “willful” violations of the law. Grassley and Ernst argue Biden’s ATF has a loose adaptation of what constitutes a “willful” violation. Additionally, the ATF does not allow businesses to fix minor errors on the spot, which was previously common practice. Instead, the Biden administration has adopted a policy of revoking licenses immediately and asking questions later. 92 licenses were revoked this year – the most in over 15 years.

“As a regulatory agency, the ATF is entrusted with a special responsibility to fairly and consistently govern over the industry it regulates.  These alleged actions by the ATF violate that trust and erode confidence within the regulator. While we have faith in the agents working to uphold the law, we are concerned the policies being executed from the top down are disrupting the livelihoods of hardworking citizens,” the senators continued.

Grassley and Ernst ask the ATF to explain what it considers a “willful” violation, provide statistics on how many licensed businesses are closing as opposed to opening for fiscal year 2022 and disclose whether proper procedure has been followed.

Original source can be found here