Big 2A victory as Trump pulls Biden threat to 20 million gun owners – Washington Examiner
The article reports a significant legal victory for gun owners as the Justice Department has withdrawn a Biden-era order targeting about 20 million owners of AR-style pistols with pistol braces. The challenged order, issued by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), sought to revoke a longstanding allowance for pistol braces on short-barreled AR firearms and imposed a $200 tax and registration requirement, potentially criminalizing many owners who did not comply. A lawsuit filed by an affected gun owner and the Firearms Policy Coalition led to this outcome, with the government deciding to cease it’s legal battle.Advocates hailed the decision as a defense of Second Amendment rights and limited government, emphasizing that pistol braces are protected arms. This growth effectively maintains the legality of pistol braces for millions of users and marks a retreat from what critics called an unconstitutional policy by the Biden administration.
Big 2A victory as Trump pulls Biden threat to 20 million gun owners
Millions of gun owners can breathe a sigh of relief today after the Justice Department yanked a Biden-era order that could have criminalized some 20 million owners of the popular AR-style “pistol.”
Last night, the department agreed to give up fighting a lawsuit filed by one of those 20 million and the Second Amendment advocacy group, Firearms Policy Center, in a major win for plinkers and hunters.
“The government is finally retreating from the Biden Administration’s patently unlawful effort to turn millions of peaceable people into felons by decree,” said FPC Action Foundation President Cody J. Wisniewski, an attorney for the challengers. “This horrible rule was a perversion of our system of limited government, so we’re glad to see this case resolved in favor of liberty and the rule of law.”
“The dismissal of this appeal should be the final nail in the coffin of this unconstitutional Biden ATF assault on gun owners.” – FPC President Brandon Combs https://t.co/n1Bm10VRS9 pic.twitter.com/0CdmaFNSge
— Firearms Policy Coalition (@gunpolicy) July 18, 2025
At issue was the Biden administration’s order to repeal a decadelong allowance of pistol braces on short-barreled AR-style firearms. Instead, Biden’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives moved to require a $200 tax and registration. While it waived the tax for those who complied, the rest — and it was a majority — would face criminal charges.
There are some 40 million pistol braces in use.
The order has been hung up in several courts, and the Justice Department’s move appears to have ended that, making them OK to own and use.
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“Today is a great day for freedom and the American people,” said Firearms Policy Coalition President Brandon Combs.
He added, “The dismissal of this appeal should be the final nail in the coffin of this unconstitutional Biden ATF assault on gun owners. As we explained in the case filings, braced pistols are not ‘short-barreled rifles.’ But either way, they are unquestionably arms protected under the Second Amendment. We are thrilled to have secured this important win for liberty and excited to take on even more unconstitutional laws so you can exercise your rights when, where, and how you choose.”
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