Attorney General Todd Blanche allowed a 92-year federal ban on unregistered gun silencers and short-barreled rifles to collapse.
Blanche failed to appeal a federal court ruling, contradicting his July 15 testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
While being confirmed, Blanche wrote, “the Department’s duty is to defend the constitutionality of the laws passed by this body” and argued the Department of Justice was “presently defending the NFA against constitutional challenges.”
However, four days after his August 8 Senate confirmation, the seven-day appeal deadline passed, and the Department of Justice had not filed anything.
Congress zeroed out the $200 National Firearms Act tax, leading a federal judge to rule registration requirements fell with it, according to the Congressional Record.
Gun Owners of America and Silencer Shop conducted the first unregistered suppressor transfers since 1934 at a Texas storefront.
Nearly 50 Republican lawmakers and the White House pressured Blanche not to appeal, Ammoland reported.
Gun-control groups, like GIFFORDS, condemned the decision, according to Brady.
Its Executive Director Emma Brown said, “By not seeking a stay, the Department of Justice is putting the gun industry’s profits ahead of the American people’s safety.”
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