A group of anti-gun protesters interrupted a congressional hearing on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) on Thursday, prompting Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX) to question whether the protesters’ actions should be considered an “insurrection.”
A group of anti-gun protesters can be heard shouting outside the joint hearing, which forced lawmakers to pause their examination, video of the moment shows.
“Is this an insurrection?” Rep. Fallon asks as the hearing is interrupted. “So will they be held to the same…we don’t want another January 6, do we?”
On Friday, Fallon and Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) announced the Judiciary Committee and Oversight Committee joint hearing to examine the ATF’s “final rule to redefine a firearm with an attached stabilizing brace as a short-barreled rifle,” which was issued on January 31.
“The Biden Administration is weaponizing the ATF to advance a left-wing gun control agenda without regard for fundamental fairness or constitutional rights,” Fallon and Biggs said in a joint statement. “The ATF has engaged in a host of practices that seek to curtail the ability of lawful gun owners to exercise their Second Amendment rights.”
READ MORE: Rep. Gaetz introduces bill to abolish the ATF
“Because of the ATF’s final rule, millions of lawful gun owners will be required to obtain a special registration, surrender, or destroy their stabilizing brace by the compliance date or will face severe criminal penalties merely as a result of this regulatory change,” they added. “Republicans on both subcommittees stand ready to defend Americans’ constitutional rights and this hearing will provide us with the tools and information to do so.”
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