Letter to the Editor: Guns, guns, guns

Clearly, the lucidity of our congresswoman, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, is unparalleled. She has once again uncovered and enunciated the evils of “not having a gun.” Guns are important. Protection is important. Self-defense is important. One would almost think we were all living under an interstate overpass at the mercy of illegal truckers and other sorts of riff-raff from overseas here on work visas and such.

And Biden is responsible — we know this for certain. He has in his employ “unelected bureaucrats” who are determined to take our guns. Not only that, but they, the “unelected bureaucrats,” want to make gun owners criminals, especially disabled veterans. All this has presumably been ferreted out from the leakage of secret bureaucratic memos and other arcane sources.

Apparently the new issue is the stabilizing brace which can be attached to “legally-purchased firearms.” Being none too familiar with this particular device, I had to google it. The stabilizing brace is now considered by the ATF to be an SBR. Once again, I was required to google the terminology. An SBR is a short-barreled rifle which apparently has historically caused some concern with the folks at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

This new interpretation by the ATF, according to our representative, will create millions of new criminals — formerly law-abiding gun owners. As I have stated previously, I am always in favor of more criminals being a criminal defense attorney so I will have to come down on the side of the ATF on this one. After all, business is business. So I say to Rep. Miller-Meeks, let it go will you; let the government turn these disabled veterans into criminals needing representation.

The representative references Final Rule 2021R-o8F effective Jan. 31, 2023. Apparently, the significance of this rule has just become apparent to Ms. Miller-Meeks. Better late than never. So if I’m not mistaken, all these disabled veterans Ms. Miller-Meeks referenced have been criminals since Jan. 31, 2023. I must have missed it. Either that or they all get charged in federal court which I try to avoid; but you think you would hear about it someplace. Surely all these disabled veterans getting charged criminally for having an SBR would hit the news somehow.

In conclusion, once again thanks are owed to our elected officials for keeping on top of these issues and informing the public of the insidious efforts of these “unelected bureaucrats” to not only take our firearms, but to make more criminals.

Richard E. H. Phelps II

Mingo