According to ATF estimates, there are over 500,000 bump stocks owned by Americans nationwide, with a total value in excess of $100 million. The actual numbers may be considerably higher. All of these bump stocks were acquired by decent Americans in good faith reliance on a series of unequivocal ATF rulings that bump stocks were not machineguns and could be lawfully owned. Indeed, they were not even considered firearms. But the ATF did an about face, ordering the taking of gun owners’ legally-purchased property, without compensation. Now they could soon face felony prosecution while they wait for the courts to rule on the legality of this regulation. As you would no doubt anticipate, the publication of this regulation has caused great consternation within a large component of the firearms community in America. But a delay would make a huge difference. Please order the Attorney General to postpone the effective date on which law-abiding American gun owners would be forced to surrender or destroy their property before their rights can be adjudicated in court. Gun Owners of America is representing several plaintiffs in the Sixth Circuit and is asking the Court to grant a preliminary injunction to prevent the law from going into effect while the courts consider the merits of their challenge. But I would hope that you would protect the right of these Americans to have their day in court as well. Please extend the March 26 deadline by three months. It’s the fair thing to do for a community that overwhelming supported you in the last election.

Much of your voting base is in turmoil right now. Imagine their strife. They lawfully purchased an item for $300 — only to then see the government reverse its position and declare such items to be contraband after someone else misused an item of that type, and then they were ordered by their government to destroy their property or risk becoming a felon. That is exactly the situation that hundreds of thousands of honest gun owners are facing with the March 26 deadline relating to the bump stock ban. By the way, this is a ban that threatens AR-15s and other semi-automatic firearms -- and it’s just one of the many reasons that Gun Owners of America is challenging this in the courts. I am urging you to extend the March 26 deadline, given that the recent government shutdown has contributed to a delay in the courts. There is certainly no health or safety reason to rush the effective date of these regulations, as the Department of Justice has no evidence that bump stocks are used in crime, and even the information about their possible use in the Las Vegas Shooting of November 1, 2017 is, at best, vague and imprecise. A delay in the effective date would certainly protect a large percentage of your voting base from irreparable harm. Thank you for considering this request.

I urge you to “restart the clock” on the bump stock turn-in period. This is especially needed as a matter of fairness, given the way the prolonged government shutdown has somewhat delayed the challenges in the courts. Several groups, including Gun Owners of America, are challenging these regulations for many reasons, including the threat these regs pose to semi-automatic rifles. On March 26, however, if the courts have failed to act, hundreds of thousands of gun owners will have to dispose of their bump stocks or else become felons. Many of these gun owners were supporters of yours. But in delaying the destruction of their bump stocks until the courts rule, gun owners could face a $250,000 fine and ten years in federal prison. So I am urging you to encourage Attorney General William Barr to prolong the bump stock turn-in date by 90 days. A delay in the turn-in date would preserve the status quo, would not prejudice the government, and would permit GOA’s members and thousands of other Americans to avoid the destruction of their bump stocks (and felony prosecution) before meaningful court review of the Final Rule can be obtained. Surely, you would not want to put Americans to such a Hobson’s choice, punishing 500,000 Americans for the actions of one deranged individual who may have used a bump stock.

Given that much of the gun-owning community supported you in 2016, I would urge you to protect law-abiding gun owners by extending the bump stock amnesty period. Gun Owners of America recently sent a letter to Attorney General William Barr, urging him to restart the clock on this 90-day turn-in period. Out of fairness, this is needed because the recent government shutdown has somewhat slowed progress in the courts. While gun owners might eventually win in the courts, hundreds of thousands of gun owners will be risking felony prosecution just while waiting for final court review. That is why I would hope that you will have your attorney general extend the grace period. There is a lot at stake in this case, including the question of whether these regulations will grease the skids for AR-15s to be classified as machine guns because they can (supposedly) be “easily converted.” Thank you for your consideration.