Endorsed early in his run for President of the United States by the National Rifle Association, gun owners had become nervous about the lack of progress that the Trump administration was making in the realm of expanding and protecting the Second Amendment rights of Americans.
Possibly in an effort to shift the news cycle away from claims of Russian hacking and Obama wiretapping, President Trump this morning announced that he has signed an executive order enacting much of the provisions of the Hearing Protection Act and bypassing Congress.
From the press release:
Past administrations have made it more difficult for law abiding citizens to exercise their God-given, constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms. The Trump administration seeks to reduce government interference at all levels and promote firearms safety. Allowing citizens to voluntarily register their firearms in a more efficient manner will increase firearms safety without any increase in crime.
While Donald Trump can’t unilaterally change the law surrounding the National Firearms Act and its inclusion of silencers as regulated items, he can change the way the ATF processes the paperwork.
Under the new executive order the ATF will roll back Obama-era requirements for fingerprinting on individual members of a trust, and will consider anyone who has mailed their registration application to the ATF (with enclosed check) to have complied with the requirements of the National Firearms Act.
This new process will allow gun stores to immediately release suppressors to buyers. Owners will need to retain a copy of their mailed forms until full approval has been received and the registry is actually updated.
When asked to comment on the Trump administration’s move, former President Barack Obama said, “Is it April Fools already?”