Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) has introduced HR 3212, the “Shall. Not. Be. Infringed. Act.,” to restore what she considers to be rights lost under the Biden administration.
“It gets rid of all the unconstitutional laws passed under Nancy Pelosi and signed by (President) Joe Biden,” a spokesman from Boebert’s office told The Epoch Times.
The bill, introduced in the House on May 19 has 28 sponsors and is endorsed by Gun Owners of America (GOA) and the National Association for Gun Rights. Aidan Johnston, GOA’s Director of Federal Affairs, said it’s now up to Congress to act.
“The House needs to vote; we’re doing our part,” Johnston told The Epoch Times.
Boebert’s bill would repeal a laundry list of gun laws enacted under Biden. At the top of the list is the law often cited by Democrats as the most significant gun-control legislation in more than 30 years: the bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
Boebert’s Act would undo parts of the Bipartisan Safe Communities Act, such as redefining who is a “gun seller.”
In a statement on its website, the GOA claims that redefining “gun seller” increases the number of Federal Firearms Licenses, “which became a backdoor way for the Biden Administration to impose Universal Background Registration Checks just as GOA predicted,” the statement reads.
Gun control provisions in the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2022 (VAWA) would also be repealed. The Act would repeal the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Denial Notification Act. Under this provision, a criminal investigation is launched when a firearm transfer is denied after a background check.
According to GOA, the NICS incorrectly denies roughly 90 percent of transfer requests. Correcting these false reports can take time and effort, according to GOA.
Another provision of VAWA that would be repealed is funding for ATF to deputize local police to help enforce federal gun laws.
Act would cut ATF
Under Boebert’s Act, all gun control funding in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 would be cut and related laws repealed.
This includes the 14.1 percent increase in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) budget, more than $700 million to states that pass so-called “Red Flag Laws,” and $14.4 million to maintain the ATF National Tracing Center.
GOA and other Second Amendment rights advocates contend that the ATF uses the National Tracing Center as an illegal national gun registry.
The ATF did not return a call seeking comment.
Finally, the Act would cut funding for gun control provisions in the James N. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023.
According to GOA, the defense act included a provision to create a program for storing firearms that could be expanded into a nationwide mandatory safe-storage program.
Boebert’s spokesman said it may look like the Act would change many things. However, he pointed out that the Act doesn’t introduce anything new.
“It’s essentially a reset button for all the damage that’s been done,” he said.
