Steube Introduces Bill to Increase Efficiency in Wait Times for Suppressor Purchases
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, Congressman Greg Steube (FL-17) introduced the End the Normalized Delay of Suppressors (ENDS) Act to increase the efficiency with which the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) reviews applications for suppressors.
“I have personally experienced the unnecessary delay of a suppressor application and as a member of Congress, I have met with many Floridians who have also experienced similar delays,” said Congressman Steube following the introduction of the bill. “A policy of delay, delay, delay is unacceptable and frankly violates the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners.”
The bill will institute a 90-day review requirement, requiring that from the point at which ATF receives a completed application for a suppressor, they have 90 days to investigate the application. If, after 90 days, they have not found anything disqualifying, then the transfer can be made of the suppressor to the purchaser. Some transfers have taken over a year to be completed for no legitimate reason.
The bill also requires ATF to provide an annual report to the Majority and Minority Leaders of both the House and Senate on the timeliness of the criminal background checks conducted with respect to firearm transfer applications. The report will include information on the average case disposition time, the number of criminal background checks that took more than 180 days to complete, and the number of applications that, when filed, were incomplete.
“Following a meeting with ATF, I requested information about the average processing time, outstanding applications, and other issues related to these delays. After 134 days, I have received no reply. It is obvious that ATF needs legislation to do its job in a timely manner,” continued Steube. “The reporting requirement of this bill will allow Congress to quickly address systematic delays and ensure our Second Amendment rights are not infringed by government bureaucracy.“
Congressman Steube is joined by Representatives Bob Gibbs (OH-07), Roger Marshall (KS-01), and Steve Watkins (KS-02) in the introduction of this legislation.
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