Easy Way To Comment On ATF’s Power Grab

Thanks to reader P.T. we have our own form-letter generator to submit comments to the Office of Management and Budget on the ATF’s proposed multiple rifle sale reporting requirement for the Southwest border states. There is a pre-written letter in the generator which you can modify as you wish.

Please forward this to all your friends, family, and others you know who believe in preserving our gun rights and freedoms. This really is an “Army of Davids” approach to use the Instapundit’s term. Unlike the Brady Campaign and Mayor Bloomberg’s Illegal Mayors, this is a totally grassroots effort done in less than 24 hours. We didn’t need a grant from the Joyce Foundation to put this together!

UPDATE: I have taken down the letter generator as the comment period has now closed. I will check with P.T. to find out the final numbers of submissions.

I want to thank everyone who helped with this little project. First, to P.T. for setting up the account and writing the code. Without this, it couldn’t have been done. Second, to all the bloggers, forums, and organizations that posted a link or put the code up on their own site. Finally, and most importantly, to everyone who submitted comments. Taking the time to submit a comment is what citizen democracy is all about. This was a true grassroots effort for gun rights.

UPDATE II: The final numbers are in. P.T. reports that we had 3,203 submissions to the Office of Management and Budget. We will have to wait until the ATF releases the public comments to see how this number impacts the final count. That said, it had to help counteract the Brady Campaign’s letter generator.

Comment Period Ends Tomorrow

The comment period for the ATF’s proposed requirement on reporting of multiple sales of certain semi-automatic rifles ends tomorrow. There is still time to submit a comment. I have made it easy for you. To submit a pre-written comment just go here, put in your name, e-mail address, and optionally, your city and state. Hit “Send Email” and away it goes to the OMB.

Through 9pm Saturday evening, the form letter generator had sent 2,142 letters to the Office of Management and Budget opposing ATF’s rule making. “P.T.” sent the following screen shots of the number of entries received on Friday and on Saturday (through 9pm). The total number in that 48 hours is 2,401 according to his comments.

According to Sitemeter statistics, this blog had 2,556 hits on Friday and 2,440 hits on Saturday. My estimate is that 75% plus of those hits were in response to the letter generator. If you visited and didn’t submit a letter, go back and do it!

If you want to submit a longer, more detailed letter, go to my post here and cut and paste it.

As to why you should do it, read Kurt Hofmann’s post at the St. Louis Gun Rights Examiner. The title of his column says it all – “Celebrating those who died for liberty, too lazy to spend 1 minute to defend it?” Kurt notes, you aren’t being asked to defend Bastogne against the Nazis like certain veterans from WWII were asked to do – and did. All we are asking you to do is take less than one minute to send a pre-written letter opposing the ATF’s power grab.

In addition, read David Codrea’s National Gun Rights Examiner column where he asks if gun owner apathy will allow ATF to impose this requirement. While you are at it, read what Chris Knox of The Firearms Coalition had to say about it. He gives you pre-written text that you can use if you don’t want to take the easy way.

The tide in the war for gun rights has turned and we have won many battles lately starting with the Heller decision. This is not the time to become apathetic and complacent. It is time to drive home the win and keep the astro-turfing gun prohibitionists in retreat.

Time For Action On ATF Proposal On Multiple Rife Sales Reporting

The comment period for objecting to the proposed ATF requirement that FFL’s in the Southwest border states report multiple sales of certain semi-automatic rifles is May 31st. The gun prohibitionists flooded the ATF with comments the first time and are geared up to do it again.

Comments need to be sent by May 31st to oira_submission@omb.eop.gov

I have a couple of examples of letters that can be sent. You just need to cut and past this into your email program, add your name and address, and send it. Feel free to edit the letters as you wish. The keys are to submit it by May 31st, to send it to the address above, and to include the control number – OMB Control Number 1140-New.

If I can find any form letter generators with this info, I will post it.

Long Letter

Re: OMB Control Number 1140-New

I am writing to oppose the Information collection action to register multiple sales of certain rifles with BATFE from the 04/29/2011 Federal Register: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-04-29/pdf/2011-10355.pdf.

This information collection is both illegal and unnecessary.

* The action proposed is outside the statutory grant of authority to record information about multiple sales of firearms. Title 18 U.S.C. § 923(g)(3)(A) specifically grants the authority to collect multiple sale information on handguns and revolvers. Other firearms are excluded and there is no implied authority to extend this reporting requirement to rifles or any other type of firearm.

* Analysis of the number of firearms seized shows that Mexico is being primarily supplied with firearms by South American countries, NOT the United States. In fact, a STRATFOR report indicates that fully 90% of of the firearms traced in Mexico are NOT coming from the United States, contrary to assertions in the mainstream media: http://wwwprod-1756134246.us-west-1.elb.amazonaws.com/index.php?q=weekly/20110209-mexicos-gun-supply-and-90-percent-myth.

Additionally, Wikileaks cables have shown the US Government is at least partially responsible for supplying Mexico from the United States: http://narcosphere.narconews.com/notebook/bill-conroy/2011/02/pentagon-fingered-source-narco-firepower-mexico. These firearms are NOT from the US commercial market.

* Source documents of the BATFE uncovered by US Senator Grassley and US Representative Issa show that BATFE has been complicit in supplying Mexican Narco-terrorist forces with firearms: http://www.scribd.com/doc/49971654/2011-03-03-CEG-to-DOJ-ATF.

* ”FFL” holders are already required by law to respond to BATFE requests for information on firearms distribution pursuant to criminal investigations: Title 18 U.S.C. § 923(g)(7).

* The regulation contains no provision for the destruction of information collected, which establishes a nationwide registry of “certain types of firearms” as proposed. Because of this the regulation, as proposed, is illegal under Title 18 U.S.C. § 926(a). ”No such rule or regulation … may require that records required to be maintained under this chapter or any portion of the contents of such records, be recorded at or transferred to a facility owned, managed, or controlled by the United States or any State or any political subdivision thereof, nor that any system of registration of firearms, firearms owners, or firearms transactions or disposition be established.”

There is a grave potential for this regulation to unduly burden citizens who are collectors or must obtain purchase permits at the local or state level to possess firearms. The proposed regulation does not say what the agency intends to do with the information but ostensibly it would be for criminal investigations. Subjecting law abiding gun owners to this type of investigation under the guise of “information collection” is an overt attempt to prevent them from exercising their 2nd Amendment rights to purchase and own firearms.

This regulatory action should not be approved.

Short Letter

Re: OMB Control Number 1140-New

I am writing to oppose the Information collection action to register multiple sales of certain rifles with BATFE from the 04/29/2011 Federal Register: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-04-29/pdf/2011-10355.pdf

This information collection is both illegal and unnecessary.

Specifically addressing your request for comments on whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility, the collection of this additional data will impede the proper function of ATF field operations.

Even when firearm’s dealers in the Southwest voluntarily provided information on multiple semi-automatic rifle sales to the ATF in an effort to prevent straw purchases and illegal sales, the ATF could not keep up with the volume of information. Adding a requirement that ALL dealers submit this information will create information overload. Because of this it would not have practical utility and would impede proper performance of the agency.

This regulatory action should not be approved.

Brady’s Prepared For ATF Comments On Multi-Rifle Reporting

The Brady Campaign is prepared for the May 31st deadline for comments on the ATF proposal to require dealers in the Southwest to report multiple sales of semi-automatic rifles with detachable magazines in calibers greater than .22. Dennis Hennigan of the Brady Campaign posted this note on their website:

Tell ATF to Fight Assault Rifle Smuggling to Mexico!

Dear Friend,

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has proposed an important new step to curb gun smuggling to Mexico.

ATF wants to hear from you and has asked for the public to weigh in with comments on its new idea.

Please tell ATF that you support its proposal to require reporting of multiple sales of weapons, such as semi-automatic military-style assault rifles, by gun dealers in the Southwest border states of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

The comment period closes May 31, so please click here to take action today!

America’s gun laws are so weak that gun dealers don’t even have to inform law enforcement when they sell dozens of these weapons of war in one sale.

The violence fueled by our weak gun laws is killing thousands both here and in Mexico, and gun trafficking to Mexico threatens to cause a major foreign policy crisis for the U.S.

Please make your voice heard and help ATF crack down on gunrunners to Mexico and contribute to security in Mexico and the United States.

After you’ve taken action, please also forward this message to your family and friends.

Sincerely,
Dennis Henigan, Vice President
Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence

Within that letter is a link to a form letter generator. Unfortunately, while the message can be personalized a bit, they have frozen the parts saying you support the proposal to require the reporting. Otherwise we could just use their generator to send mass amounts of letters opposing the ATF proposal. Their letter reads:

Support the Proposal to Require Reporting of Multiple Sales of Certain Long Guns (OMB control number 1140NEW)

Dear [Decision Maker],

I am writing to offer my comment in support of the Proposal to Require Reporting of Multiple Sales of Certain Long Guns (OMB control number 1140NEW).

America’s weak gun laws have contributed to massive numbers of guns, including military-style assault weapons, being sold by gun dealers to gun traffickers in the U.S. These guns harm Americans and are smuggled to Mexican drug cartels who wreak havoc on citizens, visitors, law enforcement, and government officials in Mexico.

Reporting multiple sales of weapons such as semi-automatic assault rifles will provide ATF with crucial notification of bulk gun sales to traffickers, giving law enforcement an opportunity to promptly investigate and stop a potential trafficker.

Under current law, ATF and other law enforcement agencies have neither the tools nor the resources to adequately stem the flow of trafficked guns from the United States into Mexico. Congress needs to provide law enforcement the tools it needs to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, including requiring background checks for all gun sales, giving ATF increased enforcement authority to crack down on corrupt gun dealers, and restricting the sale of military-style weaponry, such as large capacity ammunition magazines. The proposed reporting requirement is an important first step to stopping gun trafficking.

I urge you to support the Proposal to Require Reporting of Multiple Sales of Certain Long Guns (OMB control number 1140NEW).

Of course, it is utter bullshit. However, it emphasizes the need for our side to get its act together and submit comments. May 31st is only five days away if you count today. I will have a sample letter up with instructions a little later this morning.

If anyone knows of a form letter generator with a message opposing this proposal, please put it in the comments. I will make sure to publicize it.

H/T Josh

How Lame Can You Get

The ATF’s proposal to expand reporting of multiple firearm sales to include semi-automatic rifles in calibers greater than .22, while limited to the Southwest border states, is and was a major gun control measure. As such, you would expect gun control groups to submit long proposals in support of the measure. The Brady Campaign even announced their submission with a press release.

Ladd Everitt is the Director of Communications for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence and the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence. He has held this position for five years so it can be assumed that he understands how the game is played.  When ATF is proposing a new gun control regulation, it can be presumed that all gun control groups will submit comments supporting it.

So much for assumptions and presumptions. The picture below is a screen shot from the ATF’s “Comments Regarding Information Collection, Reports of Multiple Sales of Certain Rifles, Published December 17, 2010”. It represents the comments submitted by Mr. Everitt.

That’s right, Mr. Everitt just put his name and address into the form letter generator sponsored by Mayor Bloomberg and his Illegal Mayors. He didn’t bother to even write a comment for CSGV even though so-called assault weapons are one of the items they oppose. How lame is that?

You will notice that I have blacked out Mr. Everitt’s address and email. Unlike Mr. Everitt, I don’t get off on publishing personal data of those with whom I disagree.

I have wondered how a Director of Communications for an organization in D.C. has the time to engage in flame wars on Twitter, character assassination on Facebook, and other childish games involving those opposed to his gun prohibitionist ideals. Now I know.

Why 70% Of Comments Received Were In Favor Of ATF’s Multi-Rifle Reporting Proposal

As reported by Reuters and commented on here, over 70% of the comments received by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives were in favor of instituting an additional reporting requirement for multiple sales of semi-automatic rifles in calibers greater than .22. As I said then, it just didn’t pass the smell test.

I was correct. It doesn’t pass the smell test. ATF is correct in that 70% of the comments received were in favor of it. However, examining the comments that have been made available on the ATF’s Freedom of Information Act page, it quickly becomes evident that most of the pro-reporting comments were form letters sent by a bulk mailer program. The comments are identical and just strip in the sender’s name and address. The only variation was whether the comment was addressed to “Dear Barbara Terrell” or omitted that.

It’s time that Obama administration does more to crack down on the gun smuggling carried out by the Mexican drug cartels.

I strongly support the ATF’s proposal to require dealers along the border to report bulk sales of assault rifles, just like they already do with handgun sales. The ATF must use its authority to collect this information and better enforce the laws already on the books.

With more than 30,000 people already murdered in cartel wars, this is an emergency that demands our government’s immediate attention.

It didn’t take much effort to find the source of these form letter e-mails. It was from a site set up by our old friend Mayor Bloomberg and his Illegal Mayors in conjunction with Salsa Labs and Democracy In Action. They have tied themselves into this “progressive network” which also does work for the Democrat Party, the AFL-CIO, and various other causes and political organizations.

Just examining the comments submitted in the A through D files, there were 2,291 identical pro-reporting comments. Below you can see screen shots of the top half and bottom half of the page. Please notice the pre-written “comments” and the logo of the Illegal Mayors.

I won’t say I didn’t find pre-written comments opposing the measure – I did – but they were not nearly as common as those from the Illegal Mayors. I would hope that the ATF does not just look at the number of comments in favor of the reporting requirement but rather at the actual comments. While I don’t have any expectation of this, at least Congress might.

ATF’s Multi-Long Gun Reporting Proposal

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives opened the 30-day comment period on their proposed requirement that Southwest FFL’s submit reports of multiple sales of certain semi-automatic rifles. The full proposal is below and the comment period is open until May 31st.

If they aren’t misstating the prior comments, then the gun control groups were able to get many more comments submitted than those who believe in freedom. Time to start writing!!

In addition to submitting a comment, make sure to write your Congressman about supporting Sen. Jon Tester’s S. 570 which would prohibit ATF from tracking multiple sales of long arms.


[Federal Register: April 29, 2011 (Volume 76, Number 83)]
[Notices]
[Page 24058-24059]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr29ap11-114]

———————————————————————–

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives

[OMB Number 1140-NEW]

Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection
Comments Requested: Report of Multiple Sale or Other Disposition of
Certain Rifles

ACTION: 30-Day Notice.

———————————————————————–

The Department of Justice (DOJ), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) will be submitting the following
information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995. The proposed information collection is published
to obtain comments from the public and affected agencies. This proposed
information collection was previously published in the Federal Register
Volume 75, Number 242, page 79021 on December 17, 2010, allowing for a
60-day comment period. ATF received 12,680 comments from this
collection (8928 commenters support the collection, and 3752 commenters
opposed to the collection).
The purpose of this notice is to allow for an additional 30 days
for public comment until May 31, 2011. This process is conducted in
accordance with 5 CFR 1320.10. To ensure that comments on the
information collection are received, OMB recommends that written
comments be faxed to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs,
OMB, Attn: DOJ Desk Officer, Fax: 202-395-7285, or e-mailed to oira_
submission@omb.eop.gov. All comments should be identified with the OMB
control number [1140-NEW]. Also include the DOJ docket number found in
brackets in the heading of this document.
Comments and suggestions from the public and affected agencies
concerning the proposed collection of information are encouraged. Your
comments should address one or more of the following four points:

–Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the
proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether
the information will have practical utility;
–The accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the burden of the proposed
collection of information, including the validity of the methodology
and assumptions used;
–The quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected;
and
–The burden of the collection of information on those who are to
respond, including through the use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic
submission of responses.

Overview of This Information Collection

(1) Type of Information Collection: New.
(2) Title of the Form/Collection: Report of Multiple Sale or Other
Disposition of Certain Rifles
(3) Agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of the
Department of Justice sponsoring the collection: Form Number: ATF F
3310.12. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
(4) Affected public who will be required to respond, as well as a
brief abstract: Primary: Business or For-Profit. Other: None. Abstract:
The purpose of this information collection is to require Federal
firearms licensees to report multiple sales or other dispositions
whenever the licensee sells or otherwise disposes of two or more rifles
with the following characteristics: (a) Semi-automatic; (b) a caliber
greater than .22 (including .223/5.56 caliber); and (c) the ability to
accept a detachable magazine, to the same person at one time or during
any five consecutive business days. This requirement will apply only to
Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) who are dealers and/or pawnbrokers in
Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas.
(5) An estimate of the total number of respondents: ATF estimates
that 8,479 respondents will be subject to the reporting requirement.
However, ATF anticipates fewer than 30% of the potential respondents
will be required to report multiple sales of the subset of rifles that
is the subject of this collection. This estimate is based upon the fact
that, during fiscal year 2010, 2,509 FFLs in the affected states
submitted reports of multiple sales of hand guns. ATF estimates that a
similar number of FFLs are likely to submit reports of multiple sales
of the subject rifles.

[[Page 24059]]

(6) The estimated average burden per respondent: In fiscal year
2010, 36,148 reports of multiple sales of hand guns sales were
submitted by FFLs in the four southwest border states. Because the
specified rifles ((a) semi-automatic; (b) a caliber greater than .22
(including .223/5.56 caliber); and (c) the ability to accept a
detachable magazine) are a subset of the long gun category, we estimate
we will receive 18,074 reports of multiple sale of the specified rifles
from FFLs located in the four southwest border states. We estimate that
each report will take 12 minutes to complete. If we receive 18,074
reports from 2,509 licensees the total burden is 3,615 hours. The
estimated annual burden per respondent is 1 hour and 26 minutes.
If additional information is required contact: Lynn Murray,
Department Clearance Officer, United States Department of Justice,
Policy and Planning Staff, Justice Management Division, 2 Constitution
Square, Room 2E-808, 145 N Street, NE., Washington, DC 20530.

Dated: April 25, 2011.
Lynn Murray,
Department Clearance Officer, United States Department of Justice.
[FR Doc. 2011-10355 Filed 4-28-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-FY-P

ATF Continues With Multi-Long Gun Proposal

Reuters is reporting that ATF will be publishing a proposed rule in Friday’s Federal Register concerning the reporting of multiple sales of certain semi-automatic rifles. This is the same proposal from late 2010 that was postponed for further comment.

The proposal to be published tomorrow will open up a 30-day comment period on the reporting requirement.

Within the Reuters story was this note about the response from the prior 60-day comment period.

It was first published in December and had a 60-day comment period that garnered almost 13,000 responses. About 30 percent opposed the reporting requirement and 70 percent favored it, ATF said.

70% of comments in favor of this requirement just doesn’t pass the smell test. Frankly, unless I could see each and every comment submitted to verify this, I think either Reuters misunderstood what ATF told them or ATF has misstated it for their own bureaucratic purposes.

I will publish the comment requirements as soon as it is released.

If I can get a comment from the NRA on this tomorrow, I will post it.