After 5 Years of Violating Its Own Regulations, ATF Publishes State Laws and Published Ordinances – Firearms (32nd Edition)

Posted on by Adam Kraut, Esq.

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ATF has published its long overdue update to the State Laws and Published Ordinances. The publication was announced to retailers who attended the NICS Retailer Day held at FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Center this past Monday.

Prior to the publication of this edition, ATF had violated its own regulations by consistently failing to “annually revise and furnish Federal firearms licensees with a compilation of State laws and published ordinances” since 2011. Had a licensee failed to do something the regulations required them to do for a period of 6 years, they would have almost certainly been found to have “willfully” violated the Gun Control Act.

The newest edition provides licensees and individuals with information that is current through January 2017. If a state has passed a new law since, it will not be reflected in this edition of the publication.

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Rather than publishing a large .pdf file, ATF opted to break each state into its own chapter. At the beginning of each state’s laws and ordinances, there is contact information for the ATF Field Division and State’s Attorney General.

The message from Acting Director Thomas Brandon does cause some concern.

Interpretation of a State or local law or ordinance:  Contact your State police, local law enforcement authority, or your State Attorney General’s office.

Anyone who has ever contacted law enforcement for the interpretation of laws knows that the police officers are not always correct in their interpretation of the law, as they are charged with enforcement rather than interpretation of it. However, the website, immediately under Mr. Brandon’s message, states “If you have any questions regarding State, County or local laws, please contact your state’s Attorney General.”

It’s nice to see ATF following their own regulations after a 6 year lapse in compliance.

Published by Adam Kraut, Esq.

Adam Kraut was born and raised in Chester County, PA. Active in scouting since kindergarten, Adam achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in 2004. After graduating high school, Adam attended SUNY Binghamton where he graduated in 2009 with a major in Political Science concentrating in politics and law. After taking a year away from academics, Adam attended Widener Law School at night while maintaining a day job and graduated in 2014. Adam is an avid firearms enthusiast, whose love for firearms began in Boy Scouts at Camp Horseshoe. Adam’s experience in the firearms industry as the general manager of a Federal Firearms Licensee, who is a Class 3 dealer, gives him a working knowledge of the challenges the industry, licensees and individuals face on a daily basis. Having worked with industry leaders, individual licensees and individuals both from behind the counter and in a legal context, Adam is in a unique position to give advice with insight others may not have. In addition to being active in the courtroom, Adam is politically active to ensure that the Second Amendment rights of future generations continue to be protected. He is the host of The Gun Collective‘s show, The Legal Brief, where he dispels the various legal myths and misinformation in the gun world. In his free time, Adam volunteers with his old Boy Scout troop, cranks out ammunition behind the reloading press, can be found at the range training, enjoys hiking through the woods and cares for his small pack of dogs.

2 thoughts on “After 5 Years of Violating Its Own Regulations, ATF Publishes State Laws and Published Ordinances – Firearms (32nd Edition)”

  1. It has been decades longer that the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) has been violating the Supreme Rule of Law of the Land, i.e., the U.S. Constitution.
    This vile runaway federal agency should have been completely abolished right after its horrifying conduct on the Branch Davidian’s during its February 28, 1993 Waco, Texas siege. The siege that led up to and caused the inexcusable government violent slaughter of 82 men, women …including the murder of 26 hapless innocent children.

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  2. now, if only they had less laws to update and fill in. they’d have an easier time updating and publishing.
    silly, the works already been done for them.
    “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

    all done.

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