ATF Accountability Act of 2021

Reserving the right to object.

I read this bill, and I am not sure the Senator from Indiana really wants to do what this bill says because the bill makes it a priority that this Agency, Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms--a priority if there is a request from a licensed manufacturer, importer, or dealer, a request of the Agency for information questions on regulatory matters, puts timelines on them, deadlines.

It says that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives--the Attorney General shall--shall--not later than 90 days after the receipt of such a request or question make a ruling or determination.

Well, you think to yourself, if this Agency has very little to do with thousands of employees, then perhaps the timeliness of response from the industry would merit some 90-day deadline. But the Senator in introducing this completely overlooks the obvious. This legislation would force ATF to take resources and manpower away from their other activities and put them into answering regulatory inquiries with a 90- day deadline in his bill.

So what are the other duties that will be taking the ATF agents away from? Well, the Senator is from Indiana, my neighboring State, and I am sure when he goes to northwestern Indiana, he hears a lot about the city of Chicago. Well, it was last weekend, on the Fourth of July weekend, that there were 104 people shot in the city of Chicago, 19 died. There were 13 children who were shot and two law enforcement agents.

What is the responsibility of the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Bureau when it comes to this kind of mass shooting that is taking place in the city I am honored to represent but breaks my heart to hear those numbers?

They are supposed to be investigating the gun violence. They are supposed to be gathering the information and evidence so they can work with the prosecutors to stop this mass shooting. Unfortunately, the Senator from Indiana said, no, that is not your priority at ATF; your priority is to answer regulatory questions from gun dealers and manufacturers. And you have 90 days to do it, no matter what else is going on. Oh, you may be going after somebody who is guilty in a mass killing and a mass shooting; put it aside. You have a bookkeeping question. That is one of the provisions in here. You have a bookkeeping question that should take priority over anything else you are doing. Stop preparing information and evidence for trial, answer the industry questions on regulations. That is your highest priority--at least that is what your bill says.

So I look at this, and I think, in the reality of gun violence and death and the crimes that are being committed, ATF has the most important role of keeping us safe. I want them to be efficient in dealing with the industry. But that is not their highest priority, as far as I am concerned. The highest priority is to keep America safe and to do something about gun violence. And for that reason, I object.

Mr. President, here in a moment, I am going to ask for unanimous consent on the ATF Accountability Act and the Protecting the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Act.

Governor Cuomo has declared gun violence a public health emergency in New York. ``We want to do with gun violence what we just did with COVID,'' Governor Cuomo says.

During the pandemic, Governor Cuomo and other elected officials used the public health emergency to infringe upon Americans' constitutional rights. They barred Americans from exercising their freedom of religion by closing churches. They infringed upon Americans' right to assemble by banning many gatherings, and now gun control activist organizations are pressuring President Biden to declare gun violence as a public health emergency.

Doing so would allow the administration to take Executive action to hold up gun sales.

Declaring a public health emergency should not give the executive branch the right to infringe upon our Second Amendment. This is why I introduced the Protecting the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Act to stop this. This bill would prevent the White House from declaring an emergency for the purpose of imposing gun control.

I took an oath to represent Hoosiers and protect their Second Amendment rights. That is why I will oppose the nomination of David Chipman and why I will ask for unanimous consent to pass the ATF Accountability Act and the Protecting the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Act.

Mr. President, as if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. 1920 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration; further, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Madam President, a quick response to that before I ask unanimous consent on the next item is that that is an argument I hear so often, that the city that supports some of the toughest State gun laws and local laws that ends up having the statistics that no one would want to have across our country and then would try to cast that blame on a neighboring State tells me that you are looking in the wrong place to solve the problem.

The ATF here, we are just wanting clarity--that is the purpose of this act, and I suggest that my friend from Illinois look at some of the more basic issues that might be underlying what is happening there.