The Second Amendment Foundation today filed a lawsuit in federal district court against the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Department of Justice, alleging violations of the Administrative Procedures Act relating to its flip-flop regulation of arm braces on semiautomatic pistols.
SAF is joined by Rainier Arms, LLC and two private citizens, Samuel Walley and William Green. The lawsuit also names acting ATF Director Regina Lombardo and Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, in their official capacities. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division. The case is known as SAF et. al. v. BATFE, et. al.
“There are several issues at play in this case,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “It concerns the failure of the agencies and its officials to abide by long-established and Congressionally-mandated rulemaking requirements, threatening rights protected by the Second Amendment. This is especially important to disabled persons because these devices were originally developed to benefit shooters with physical disabilities.
“We think it is also important to file this case now,” he continued, “because the incoming Biden administration has made no secret it intends to take various regulatory actions and issue executive orders directly affecting gun owners. We’re putting the new administration on notice we will be watching their every move where the Second Amendment rights of American citizens are concerned.”
Plaintiff Walley is a distinguished disabled Army veteran who suffered a traumatic injury while serving in Afghanistan in 2012. He was wounded by an improvised explosive device resulting in partial amputation of his right leg and left arm, and a salvaged left leg limb. He uses arm braces to stabilize firearms he shoots recreationally.
Green is a police officer who suffered a line-of-duty injury resulting in permanent nerve damage to his right hand. He also uses arm braces to stabilize firearms while he is shooting.
“With some two million arm braces now in common use,” Gottlieb observed, “BATF can’t just regulate an accessory like this and constantly leave people confused. We’re asking the court for an injunction to prevent this sort of thing from happening again.”
Plaintiffs are represented by attorneys Chad Flores, Hannah Roblyer and Daniel Nightingale at Beck Redden LLP in Houston, and Matthew Goldstein at Farhang & Medcoff in Tucson.
