Providing for Consideration of H.J. Res. Providing for Congressional Disapproval Under the Rule Submitted By the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Relating to ``Factoring Criteria for Firearms with Attached `Stabilizing Braces' Providing for Consideration of H.R. Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of Providing for Consideration of H.R. Separation of Powers Restoration Act of Providing for Consideration of H.R. Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act; and Providing for Consideration of H.R. Save Our Gas Stoves Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman from Kentucky for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, here we are engaging in the theater of the absurd, yet again, from our colleagues on the other side of the aisle just blatantly denying the power grab being carried out by the executive branch yet again. They don't seem to care so long as it suits their ends in terms of policy.

Everybody who follows this understands that the court is almost certain to strike this down. We have already seen it happen in the Fifth Circuit. We are pretty clear about the extent to which this is an abuse of the Administrative Procedures Act, the extent to which this is an unconstitutional violation of our Second Amendment rights, and the court, no doubt, like the Fifth Circuit, will follow suit.

That is just the simple truth, just like we expect the court to most likely rule that the President's power grab to extend a bailout for student loans will also be struck down. That is almost certainly true.

However, what is also true is that it is incumbent upon the United States Congress--the House of Representatives in particular--to stand up in defense of the Constitution, in defense not just as might seem most apparent here, a defense of the Second Amendment which this most certainly is, but, in fact, a defense of separation of powers, that, in fact, it is not the executive branch that makes law.

When the Speaker of the House actually says that the President doesn't have power to do something and then refuses, as the previous Speaker, Speaker Pelosi, did to do anything about what the President is doing to exercise that authority unconstitutionally--as was the case with the student loan--then it begs the question: Do any of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle give a whit about separation of powers or about the fact that it is a clear abuse of the power of the executive branch?

The answer is no. That is the clear truth. They don't give a whit about that, nor do they give a whit about it here because they like the outcome of the policy: the banning of a piece of plastic. That is the truth.

However, it is not really about the pistol braces, is it? Because really that was, in fact, something created by marine and Army veteran Alex Bosco inventing the pistol stabilizing brace to help his friend, a disabled combat veteran, at the shooting range.

At the time, the ATF--President Obama's ATF--advised Mr. Bosco that a stabilizing brace did not convert a pistol into a short-barreled rifle. He relied upon that.

Now, here we are a decade later, and the Biden ATF wants to reverse that by executive fiat, not through the congressional powers, not by legislation, as was possible last summer when my colleagues had the House, the Senate, and the White House. No. No. They prefer to go ahead and use the unaccountable and unelected bureaucrat at the ATF to make policy.

We are here to say that that is a bad idea. It is a bad idea for the Republic, it is a bad idea for freedom, and it is a bad idea with respect to our fundamental rights.

The reality here is my colleagues on the other side of the aisle know full well what they want to do. It is not just to ban an accessory. They want to ban firearms. They want to ban firearms from top to bottom, and this is a step to do it. I have always been taught that if your opponents say something, you should believe them. That is the reality.

I hope my colleagues on this side of the aisle will stand up to the CRA and send it over to the Senate where it most assuredly might end up being a message amendment because the President of the United States will almost assuredly veto it because he doesn't care about separation of powers either.

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Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my friend from Kentucky for yielding.

The gentleman from Massachusetts was questioning why he hasn't heard from any veteran groups in support of this.

Mr. Speaker, there are others. The fact of the matter is there are many veterans groups--that is one; we will get you some more--who are supportive of this bill and who are supportive of this effort to protect their Second Amendment rights.

That is a fact because my colleagues on the other side of the aisle want registration because they want to take guns from the American people because they know that liberty rests with the people.

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