By: Anthony Morelli
The new scheme by the ATF to ban guns is their most ridiculous ever.
They went to the silliest extreme possible to take guns away.
The ATF has decided to change the law by changing the dictionary itself.
The executive branch is supposed to be tasked with enforcing the law, not creating brand-new laws out of thin air.
This reality has frustrated many presidents, who believe it is their birthright to flex their muscles and exert as much power and influence as they possibly can.
But the legislative branch is the one that is tasked with creating new laws under the Constitution. The executive branch does not have that authority.
In recent years, however, presidents have been extremely keen on trying to take more power for themselves.
They are not fans of the checks and balances that go with a republic like ours, and they would prefer to just rule from the throne like a king.
In the case of Joe Biden, he has tasked the ATF with simply changing the meaning of words – effectively, changing the dictionary – so that he can create whatever new gun law he wants.
According to The Truth About Guns, “It appears those wacky bureaucrats with guns and jackboots are at it again. That’s right, the ATF is trying to change laws and even the meaning of words to allow them to lord over even more of the U.S. citizenry who might have a desire to defend themselves or maybe just have a little fun shooting targets and such. Breitbart’s AWR Hawkins reported the ATF’s background check rule has expanded the definition of ‘sale’ in gun transactions to include services or bartering, which could effectively require private sellers to use the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).”
The word “sale” is one of the most basic words in the dictionary. Young children can define what it means. It is a transaction for money.
But the ATF wants to legally redefine it in order to bypass Congress and enact new gun control.
The article continues, “As reported by Breitbart News, the rule aims to redefine what it means to be ‘engaged in the business of selling guns,’ targeting those who sell guns for profit, frequently or through barter to ensure they go through background checks. This adjustment seeks to prevent individuals from bypassing licensing requirements through nonmonetary transactions.”
If the ATF feels so strongly about this, they can petition Congress to take it up and change the law. After all, there is no shortage of anti-gun members of the House or Senate who would be happy to.
But the ATF has never had much respect for our system of government. The leadership and members of that agency would be more than happy to change our government to a more authoritarian system that regularly cracks down on its citizens.
That’s why they are unconcerned with going through the normal procedures to pass a law. They are perfectly content to just change the meaning of words to get their way.