Democracy Dies in Darkness

Veterans sue Biden Justice Dept. over pistol brace restrictions

Attorneys with the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty filed a lawsuit this week saying the measure violates the Second Amendment

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February 1, 2023 at 7:22 p.m. EST
The Justice Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) officials have argued that adding a stabilizing brace to a pistol converts it into a short-barreled rifle. (LM Otero/AP)
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A Wisconsin law firm is challenging a Biden administration rule requiring gunowners to register pistols affixed with a stabilizing brace — an accessory, federal officials contend, that allows people to make handguns more lethal.

Attorneys with the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty filed a lawsuit this week claiming the Justice Department’s interpretation of the rule violates the Second Amendment and that a change in regulation requiring gunowners to register a pistol with the federal government would need to come from Congress. Gunowners do not need to register unenhanced pistols this way.