Gun Owners of America (GOA) and Gun Owners Foundation (GOF), alongside the states of Texas, Louisiana, Utah and Mississippi have filed an opposition to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) motion to stay our ongoing lawsuit against the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The case, which seeks to block the Biden Administration’s unlawful “engaged in the business” rule, had already seen a victory at the lower court, where a judge granted a preliminary injunction in favor of the plaintiffs. But now, the DOJ is attempting to stall the case by asking for a stay, which could delay a resolution for an indefinite period of time.
In our response filed today, GOA and the Texas Attorney General’s office made it clear that the DOJ’s request to stay the case only serves to further entrench the issue in a “quagmire of administrative process and serial litigation.” As the case is now on the brink of resolution, the DOJ’s actions seek to prolong the legal uncertainty, making it harder for gun owners to defend their rights.
The DOJ’s request to stall this victory is not only baseless but also indicative of the entrenched anti-gun agenda within DOJ’s bureaucracy.
This legal battle is part of a larger fight to protect the Second Amendment rights of all Americans. GOA and the Texas Attorney General’s office are working tirelessly to ensure that the ATF’s overreach is held in check, demanding that the DOJ cease its efforts to derail the court from deciding our case. On the campaign trail, President Trump said: “Biden is trying to ban all private gun transfers in the United States with a stroke of a pen. Under a Trump administration, all of those Biden disasters get ripped up and torn out my first week.”
Erich Pratt, Senior Vice President of GOA, issued the following statement: “We’ve already won a preliminary victory in the lower court, and the DOJ’s attempt to now stay the case is nothing but a delay tactic. A stay risks entrenching this case in an endless cycle of bureaucracy, and we’re not going to let that happen. The judge in our case issued a strong preliminary ruling, and it’s time to move forward—no more stalling. We encourage Attorney General Pam Bondi to put the right people in charge of handling these critical cases. DOJ bureaucrats are standing in the way of justice, and it’s time to make sure the right people are held accountable.”
Sam Paredes, on behalf of Gun Owners Foundation, added: “While we attempted to resolve this behind the scenes, it’s clear that career bureaucrats in the DOJ have made the wrong decision. We’re calling out this misconduct, and we want to put the spotlight on those responsible for blocking the victory we’ve achieved. President Trump said he would ‘rip up’ this unlawful Rule, and so it’s inexplicable why the DOJ is now standing in the way of the court being able to do just that.”
GOA spokesmen are available for interviews. Gun Owners of America is a nonprofit grassroots lobbying organization dedicated to protecting the right to keep and bear arms without compromise. GOA represents over two million members and activists. For more information, visit GOA’s Press Center.
