Sens. Rounds, Johnson take on ATF, introduce bill to expand full-time travelers’ gun ownership rights

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FIRST ON FOX: Senator Mike Rounds, R-S.D., is taking on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) with a new bill expanding full-time travelers’ gun ownership rights.

Rounds reintroduced the Traveler’s Gun Rights Act on Thursday, a bill that aims to update federal law to account for gun residency issues full-time travelers — such as people who live in recreational vehicles (RVs), individuals with multiple homes, and military personnel and spouses.

Currently, the ATF does not allow Post Office (PO) boxes or private mailboxes to be included on federal forms for firearms purchasers.

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Senator Mike Rounds, R-S.D., is taking on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) with a new bill expanding full-time travelers’ gun ownership rights. (Getty Images)

"As a supporter of the Second Amendment, I am committed to protecting the rights of lawful gun owners," Rounds said in a press release exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital.

"The Traveler’s Gun Rights Act removes an unfair prohibition facing Americans with unique living situations," the South Dakota Republican continued. "This legislation will make certain that law-abiding citizens do not face a burdensome roadblock when trying to exercise their Second Amendment rights."

A companion bill was introduced into the GOP-controlled House by Republican Rep. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota.

"Just because a law-abiding citizen relies on a P.O. Box as their primary address doesn’t mean their Second Amendment rights should be limited," Johnson said in a press release.

A companion bill was introduced into the GOP-controlled House by Republican Rep. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

"South Dakota is home to many RV-ers and active-duty military who have this problem when trying to obtain a firearm," he continued. "My bill seeks to correct that."

The bill is endorsed by several gun advocacy organizations, including the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) and the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF).

"The NRA greatly appreciates Senator Rounds for sponsoring legislation to uphold the constitutionally protected Second Amendment rights of those who travel full-time," NRA-ILA federal affairs managing director Brian Calabrese said in the release.

"The Second Amendment rights of Americans should never be denied simply because some Americans choose to use a post office box address instead of a physical address," NSSF senior vice president Lawrence G. Keane said in the release.

Currently, the ATF does not allow Post Office (PO) boxes or private mailboxes to be included on federal forms for firearms purchasers. (Michael Ruiz/Fox News Digital)

"This is especially important to Americans with unique living situations that aren’t fixed physical locations and those active duty military members who routinely move from one location to another," Keane said.

"Senator Rounds’ legislation fixes this overlooked obstacle that disenfranchises citizens of the full spectrum of their Second Amendment rights while ensuring the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System ensures firearms remain out of the hands of those who should never possess them," he continued.

President Biden’s ATF has been under major scrutiny for a slew of controversial rules from issues involving pistol stocks to a "zero-tolerance" rule for gun stores that critics target Americans’ Second Amendment rights.

On Tuesday, House Judiciary Committee Republicans Jim Jordan of Ohio and Thomas Massie of Kentucky, sent a letter to the ATF demanding the agency's head, ATF Director Stephen Dettelbach appear before the committee along with several agency officials.

On Tuesday, House Judiciary Committee Republicans Jim Jordan of Ohio and Thomas Massie of Kentucky, sent a letter to the ATF demanding the agency's head, ATF Director Stephen Dettelbach (L) appear before the committee along with several agency officials. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

In the letter obtained by Fox News Digital, the lawmakers wrote they "have written the ATF with several requests for information and documents regarding the agency’s efforts to regulate firearms through the rulemaking process" and that they have "additional questions" requiring Dettelbach’s and other agency officials’ testimonies.

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"The ATF’s lack of transparency comes after the agency issued a final rule banning stabilizing pistol braces, and as the agency continues to shut down lawful businesses through the "zero-tolerance" policy for federal firearms dealers (FFLs)," the Republicans wrote.

"Just last year, the United States Supreme Court held in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency that under the major questions doctrine, ‘given both separation of powers principles and a practical understanding of legislative intent, the agency must point to "clear congressional authorization" for the authority it claims,’" they continued.

"This ruling raises serious doubts about ATF’s ability to regulate pistol braces absent a clear mandate from Congress," Jordan and Massie added.