The facts
The Justice Department has instructed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to stop enforcing federal registration requirements for suppressors, short-barreled rifles, and certain other firearms. This action comes after a Texas judge ruled the permitting rules unconstitutional. The judge's decision was limited to the parties in the case, but the Justice Department announced it would not appeal and would extend the policy nationwide to avoid a confusing legal landscape. The new policy maintains registration requirements in approximately 15 states that have their own specific laws regarding these firearms. Registration for machine guns and destructive devices also remains in effect. Purchasers of firearms will still be required to complete the standard firearms purchase form and successfully pass a background check. ATF Director Rob Cekada stated that the agency's focus will be on combating violent crime. Gun safety advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety criticized the Justice Department's decision, labeling it as reckless. The Associated Press noted that gun-control groups generally support such restrictions as measures for public safety.
Our take
Well, fuck me sideways with a short-barreled rifle. The U.S. Department of Justice, that titan of legal enforcement, has just officially thrown up its hands and surrendered because a single judge in Texas said the paperwork was too hard. They’ve ordered the ATF to stop enforcing rules on registering suppressors and short-barreled rifles, not because they think it’s right, but because they’re too fucking scared of a ‘confusing legal landscape’. What a bunch of spineless pricks. The ruling only applied to the chucklefucks in the lawsuit, but the DOJ, in a display of administrative cowardice unseen since the last time someone asked them to do their jobs, decided to just roll over and piss on the rulebook for everyone. They’re not even appealing. They’re just quitting. It’s the bureaucratic equivalent of seeing a bully and immediately handing over your lunch money, your pants, and your dignity. Of course, they left a few pathetic crumbs of regulation to pretend they still have a spine, noting that about 15 states with their own laws can still enforce things. How magnanimous. They also made sure to keep the rules for machine guns and ‘destructive devices’, because apparently those are the *real* threats, not the fucking tools designed specifically to make guns quieter and more concealable. What a load of bullshit. ATF Director Rob Cekada then had the gall to say the agency will now ‘focus on combating violent crime’. Oh, fantastic! So the plan is to stop tracking the sale of specific weapons favored by criminals and tactical dickheads, and then… magically fight crime better? That’s like a fire department deciding to stop checking for arsonists because they’re too busy focusing on fires. Everytown for Gun Safety called it reckless, which is the polite way of saying the DOJ is being run by a pack of gutless, pandering assholes. They saw a legal fight and decided the easiest path was to just lie down in the middle of the road. What a bunch of absolute cunts. Enjoy the free-for-all, you bureaucratic bastards. Don't act surprised when the 'confusing landscape' gets a lot louder and more lethal. You built it. Now you get to fucking live in it. End of story, no appeal. Just like your principles.
