Lankford Given A+ Rating for His Strong Support of the Second Amendment

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) announced that he received an A+ rating (the highest rating) from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) in their recently released 2022 Report Card. 

“I am honored by the recognition of the National Shooting Sports Foundation as I continue to stand for all law-abiding Oklahomans’ Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms,” said Lankford. “Lawful gun owners are a benefit to our state, not a threat. Federal laws and regulations must keep the focus on protecting Americans’ rights, not restricting them.”

NSSF’s 2022 grade was based on support or opposition to particular pieces of legislation, as well as leadership on industry-related issues, public statements, committee work and votes, floor statements, letters sent to agencies supporting a key issue, and other items during the 117^th Congress.

“As his grade demonstrates, Senator Lankford supports lawful and responsible gun ownership. He opposes threats to the Second Amendment and the ability of our industry to provide Americans with the firearms they choose for recreational shooting, hunting and self-defense. NSSF is truly grateful to Senator Lankford for his fidelity to this industry and America’s Constitutional rights,” said Lawrence G. Keane, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, NSSF – The Firearm Industry Trade Association.

Lankford continues to stand up for Oklahomans’ Second Amendment rights. Lankford voted against gun-control advocate Steven Dettelbach to lead ATF after the White House pulled its previous nominee, David Chipman, whom Lankford also opposed. Lankford has called on ATF to provide answers on their recent actions that prevent law-abiding citizens from creating and owning sound suppressors.

Lankford was joined by eight Republican Senators to send a letter to the Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Steven Dettelbach to share their concerns that ATF has accumulated a significant backlog of Form 4 and Form 1 applications. ATF requires these forms in order to transfer a National Firearms Act (NFA) item, which includes sound suppressors, from a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) to a law-abiding citizen.

Lankford joined a letter to ATF expressing concern over their use of secret internal guidance to push new regulations. This secret guidance has been used to justify the seizure of lawfully owned property, which is unacceptable and not in accordance with the Constitution. Lankford introduced a Congressional Review Act (CRA) joint resolution of disapproval to prohibit ATF from implementing a new rule to expand firearm definitions.

In April, Lankford introduced the Pistol Brace Protection Act, which would dramatically change an upcoming final rule by the ATF by exempting pistol braces from regulation under the NFA. The bill eliminates the subjective standards that exist in federal law that have allowed ATF to reclassify firearms under the NFA, and guarantees that law-abiding gun owners will not have to register, destroy, or surrender their pistol brace.

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