The Story Keeps Getting Stranger

Remember that column where it looked like ATF was expanding the multiple rifle sale reporting rule?

While doubts were raised despite ATF not specifying the four border states of where their proposal would be applicable, a new difference has been identified, Kurt Hofmann tells me, by activist Chris Meissen, who "caught an interesting aspect of the ATF's proposed new power grab that no one else seems to be talking about.

"Check out the wording," Kurt advised:

The purpose of this information collection is to require Federal Firearms Licensees to report multiple sales or other dispositions whenever the licensee sells or otherwise disposes of two or more rifles within any five consecutive business days with the following characteristics:  (1) Semi-automatic; (2) a caliber greater than .22; and (c) the ability to accept a detachable magazine.   

"Nowhere does it say anything about the multiple sales being to the same buyer," he noted. "Conceivably, if this goes through, they'll be authorized to demand reports from every gun dealer who sells two or more detachable magazine-fed semi-auto rifles per week."

Yeah, I have no idea if this is just sloppiness or if it means more, but if this goes through unchallenged, it will have the effect of an enforceable rule.  And by way of "then and now" comparison, here's what the proposed rule looked like on that point back when it was first proposed:

The purpose of this information collection is to require Federal firearms licensees to report multiple sales or other dispositions whenever the licensee sells or otherwise disposes of two or more rifles with the following characteristics: (a) Semi-automatic; (b) a caliber greater than .22 (including .223/5.56 caliber); and (c) the ability to accept a detachable magazine, to the same person at one time or during any five consecutive business days.