{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.crapo.senate.gov/media/newsreleases/crapo-risch-braun-introduce-bill-to-hold_atf-accountable-give-certainty-to-gun-owners-and-manufacturers", "Crapo, Risch, Braun Introduce Bill to Hold  ATF Accountable, Give Certainty to Gun Owners and Manufacturers", "2023-12-19", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "Senate", "ID", "Mike Crapo", "C000880", "www.crapo.senate.gov", "crapo", "https://www.crapo.senate.gov/media/newsreleases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C.--U.S. Senators Mike Crapo, Jim Risch (both R-Idaho) and Mike Braun (R-Indiana) introduced the ATF Accountability Act, which would provide transparency to gun owners across America on rules made by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The ATF engages in a secretive classification review process where the agency decides whether a particular firearm is regulated by the National Firearms Act and refuses to make final public rules regarding classification. The ATF\u2019s lack of transparency creates significant uncertainty for both gun-owning Americans and firearm manufacturers.\n\n\u201cIncreasing transparent review and an appeals process for rulings and determinations made by the ATF would ensure that firearms manufacturers and lawful gun owners are not subject to unchecked bureaucratic rulings,\" said Crapo. \"Burdening law-abiding citizens of this country with additional gun restrictions is not the answer to safeguarding the public.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe ATF\u2019s ability to designate firearms behind closed doors puts law abiding gun owners and firearms manufacturers in a difficult and sometimes impossible situation,\u201d said Risch. \u201cThe ATF Accountability Act will stop the agency\u2019s secretive classification process, create accountability, and empower gun owners and manufacturers to appeal rulings.\u201d\n\n\u201cAmerican gun owners and manufacturers have been left in the dark for far too long with closed-door rule changes by the ATF,\u201d said Braun. \u201cAmericans exercising their Second Amendment rights shouldn\u2019t be the last to know the classification status of firearms, or what licenses or tax stamps they need to avoid running afoul of the law. The ATF needs accountability and transparency, which this bill accomplishes.\u201d\n\nThe ATF Accountability Act:\n\nCreates an appeals process following a ruling by ATF with specific regular timeframes; and\n\nPermits gun manufacturers to appeal the legal status or classification of any product by filing with the Director of Industry Operations with jurisdiction. After which, the appeal is directed to an administrative law judge.\n\nSenators John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota), Steve Daines (R-Montana), Josh Hawley (R-Missouri), John Hoeven (R-South Dakota), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi), James Lankford (R-Oklahoma), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma) and Rick Scott (R-Florida) cosponsored the legislation.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.crapo.senate.gov/media/newsreleases/crapo-risch-braun-introduce-bill-to-hold_atf-accountable-give-certainty-to-gun-owners-and-manufacturers"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5210479032248259, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}