Green Mountain Times

Democratic Rep. Becca Balint voted against a resolution last week to repeal a new Biden administration rule that critics say is “unconstitutional” and “onerous” in the way it regulates the ownership of stabilizing pistol braces.

The Vermont House delegation voted 1-0 against the resolution.

House Joint Resolution 44, authored by Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Georgia), passed the U.S. House of Representatives on a mostly partisan vote of 219-210. The measure aims to counter a rule advanced by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) regulating pistol braces.

Such braces attach to the rear of a firearm and rest on the user’s forearm, providing more stability and better firing accuracy.

“Every day, millions of Americans — including many service-disabled veterans — rely on stabilizing braces to exercise their Second Amendment freedoms,” Clyde said in a prepared statement. “Yet through the ATF’s rule, the Biden administration is attempting to circumvent Congress’ sole legislative authority by using executive fiat to turn these law-abiding gun owners into criminals for simply attaching this beneficial brace to their firearm.”

Under the rule’s provisions, those who currently use stabilizing braces on their pistols would have the option of replacing the firearms with those that contains a barrel at least 16 inches long, removing the brace so that it cannot be reused, registering the firearms on a federal form and paying a $200 tax, or turning in or destroying the firearms.

“... The House has sent a resounding message to both the judicial system and the nation that it firmly rejects the ATF’s unconstitutional rule and executive overreach, unapologetically defends service-disabled veterans’ unalienable right to keep and bear arms, and refuses to back down in the fight to protect all Americans’ Second Amendment liberties,” Clyde said.

Among the lawmakers representing districts in the 50 states, only two Democrats supported the resolution.

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How Vermont House Delegation Voted on Resolution 44

Representative	Party	Vote
Becca Balint	Democratic	NAY

Source: Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives