As more than 50,000 employees of gun-related business gathered in Las Vegas, Nev., for the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s SHOT Show, we sat down with Larry Keane, senior vice president and general counsel for the NSSF. We wanted to discuss the state of the firearms industry; after all, before entering the White House, President Joe Biden (D) called the firearms industry “the enemy.” In the years since, the Biden administration has certainly treated the firearms industry as an enemy.
When asked about the Biden administration’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Keane said, “The relationship between the ATF and the [firearms] industry is really at a low point.”
He then noted how often gun dealers in the past have worked with the ATF to nab possible law breakers, but he then wondered why gun dealers today would, given the Biden administration’s directives to put lawful gun dealers out of business, “invite any scrutiny from the ATF.”
“It used to be that the ATF had a true focus on public safety … but now they’re going after [gun dealers] for ticky-tacky things,” said Keane, as he explained that this does not make America a safer place.
“I think we will see more efforts between now and election day to harass and damage the [firearms] industry,” said Keane.
Keane also said that recent NSSF data indicates that Americans now own at least 28 million of the popular, semi-automatic rifles that Biden and his allies want to ban—and that some courts have refused to give Second Amendment protection, as they are clearly in common use.
“Biden has decided to make [attacking this industry] a hallmark of his presidency and reelection … . I am hopeful that gun owners will come out and vote this November. It is critical. Not just for the industry and for the Second Amendment, but, I would say, the future of this country … unfortunately, through his feckless leadership, Biden has made the world a very dangerous place.”
