Government shutdown putting gun owners rights at risk, Republicans warn

FIRST ON FOX: A group of 30 House Republicans is raising alarms about how the government shutdown is impacting gun owners across the U.S.

Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., led his colleagues in a letter to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Thursday urging its acting director to reclassify certain employees as essential workers, warning that current parameters are leaving many gun owners' applications for certain items in limbo.

"As a result of this Democrat-led shutdown, ATF, like most federal agencies, is operating at a reduced workforce. And while Democrats continue to fight for benefits for illegal aliens, the constitutional rights of Americans are being infringed as a result," read the letter, first obtained by Fox News Digital.

"That is because, under federal law, Second Amendment rights cannot be fully exercised without the involvement of the federal government. This clearly is not what the Framers intended, but it is this country’s unfortunate reality."

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The government shutdown is in its 17th day, with Democrats and Republicans still unable to agree on a path forward on federal funding.

It's led to thousands of government employees being furloughed and a wide array of federal services paused. Shutdowns force federal agencies to triage their output, deciding which workers and services are "essential" and must keep working with limited or no pay, and what to shutter altogether.

Much of the ATF's non-law enforcement staff was furloughed, and processing of new and renewed civilian federal firearms licenses was stalled, according to the Firearm Industry Trade Association.

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"As you know, National Firearms Act (NFA) application examiners are among the ATF employees currently furloughed during this shutdown. This means that Americans are currently unable to acquire widely popular NFA-regulated firearms and safety equipment, such as shortbarreled rifles and silencers, because no one at ATF will approve their applications at this time," the House GOP letter read.

"Indeed, NFA application approvals are related to the discharge of the President’s constitutional duties and powers. The President of the United States is charged with protecting and defending the Constitution of the United States, and this includes the Second Amendment," it continued.

The House Republicans also argued that the shutdown-forced pause could risk Americans' safety and property — pointing out the ATF similarly stopped processing NFA applications in previous shutdowns.

"During these periods of indefinite delay, ATF deprived Americans of access to regulated arms. The inability to acquire firearms necessarily infringes Americans’ ability to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their property," the lawmakers wrote.

"But, as Acting ATF Director, you have significant authority to propose or classify which ATF positions are designated as ‘excepted’ during a lapse in appropriations, subject to DOJ’s contingency plan, OMB and OPM guidance, and the legal constraints on what may lawfully continue during a shutdown."

Fox News Digital reached out to the ATF for a response but did not immediately hear back.