First appearance on Fox: A Republican congressman relents to President Biden’s “gun-grabbing” Department of Justice (DOJ) after it took nearly two years to answer questions about the controversial Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) We are pursuing it without any problem. “Knock and Let’s Talk” Firearms Enforcement Policy.
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) first sent a letter to the ATF in August 2022 expressing concerns about how the agency polices firearm straw purchases (an illegal act in which an individual purchases a firearm on behalf of another person). I asked for answers to my questions. It may be violating the rights of Americans. She said in her letter that enforcing laws prohibiting straw purchases of firearms is important, but the Justice Department needs to be clear about how to do so.
“For nearly two years, Biden’s ATF has not answered my questions and instead they continue to harass law-abiding gun owners in their homes,” Ernst told FOX News Digital. Ta. “Biden ATF’s ‘knock and talk’ policy is illegal and continues to hide the truth by blocking me and engaging in so-called ‘violence’ without addressing the law-abiding American people I specifically questioned.” is blaming.”
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Republican Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst and Justice Department officials in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images)
“Biden’s ATF should stop bending the law to suit its gun grab policies,” she added.
Ernst sent the 2022 letter just a month after the ATF began cracking down on straw purchases. In it, she detailed reports and videos that have surfaced showing ATF officers engaged in such investigations. Ernst noted that these interactions included ATF agents knocking on people’s doors and asking residents to display recently purchased firearms to prove they were not purchasing straws.
“Of all the ‘knock and talk’ cases that came to my attention, not one involved the filing of a warrant,” Ernst wrote.
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Ernst said ATF agents often arrive at homes in full gear, wearing bulletproof vests, and often don’t inform homeowners that the firearms are voluntary.
“These factors combine to raise questions about whether ATF’s actions are aimed at harassing firearm purchasers or coercing them into an ‘investigation’ that is, at best, legally questionable. ” she said.
The senator called on Attorney General Merrick Garland to provide details about the ATF’s investigations, including how the agency establishes probable cause to make these visits and whether warrants are obtained. Ta. He also asked the ATF to reveal how many “knock-and-talks” it has conducted since the enforcement began in late July.
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Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) speaks with reporters after the weekly Senate Republican Policy Luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on February 14, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The letter asked Garland to respond within 30 days.
Video of the knock-and-talk incident in July showed ATF officers arriving at a man’s home in Delaware. The man reportedly purchased seven firearms since January.
Investigators at the scene admitted to the man that they did not have a warrant. They also provided insight into how to choose your visit.
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“The idea is that if you buy more than one gun at a time, multiple sales reports will be generated that will be delivered to us and we will need to review them,” the agent told the public. Ta. “That’s it. You didn’t do anything wrong. Not at all.”
The man eventually manufactured one of the firearms. The agent then matched the serial number and left.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Department of Justice for comment.
FOX News’ Anders Hagström contributed to this report.
