The Texan pointed out on Thursday that the ATF’s new background check rule is occurring “under a law from Sen. John Cornyn.”
On June 12, 2022, Breitbart News noted that the Senate announced a bipartisan gun control agreement. The agreement was the result of work Cornyn was doing for gun control on behalf of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
The agreement was over legislation titled Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA). It was fashioned by Cornyn and Senate Democrats following the May 24, 2022, attack on Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
The BSCA expanded background checks for gun buyers ages 18-20, designated taxpayer money to incentivize states to enact red flag laws, and broadened the National Instant Criminal Background Check System’s (NICS) prohibited purchasers list by using domestic violence statutes to cover dating relationships, among other things.
The ATF cites the BSCA as justification for its new rule forcing National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) checks into private sales.
Under a law from @JohnCornyn, @TheJusticeDept proposed a new rule that expands federal firearm licensing requirements and prevents private individuals from having tables at gun shows unless they obtain a license and conduct background checks on buyers. https://t.co/63456PPp7e
— The Texan (@TheTexanNews) April 11, 2024
Breitbart News reported that the ATF’s new rule redefines terms like “sale” so that even “bartering” for a neighbor’s gun requires a NICS check.
Gun Owners of America responded to The Texan by posting:
That’s right Texans, this is all @JohnCornyn's fault! https://t.co/ZkF0qouU6r
— Gun Owners of America (@GunOwners) April 11, 2024
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio, and a pro-staffer for Pulsar Night Vision. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010 and holds a Ph.D. in Military History, with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. Beef is his favorite vegetable. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at
