During Thursday’s House Judiciary Committee hearing on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ (ATF’s) regulatory gun control push Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) claimed the ATF has been keeping us safe since 1886.

Jackson said she was “incredulous” that a hearing highlighting the ATF’s regulatory gun control push was being held.

She then claimed there have been “over a 100 mass shootings” already in 2023, but did not provide any substantiation of the claim. She also claimed there is “a constant range of gunfire across America,” including “on Sunday, when many people in America are seeking the solace of faith.”

Jackson then said, “As far back as 1886, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Explosives, have been one of this country’s most important federal agencies, fulfilling a multi-faceted mission to protect American communities from violent crime while keeping us safe, through regulation and enforcement of federal laws.”

Representative Sheila Jackson Lee speaks as student loan borrowers and advocates gather for the People’s Rally To Cancel Student Debt During The Supreme Court Hearings On Student Debt Relief on February 28, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for People’s Rally to Cancel Student Debt )

She then highlighted how many millions of guns were sold from the beginning of the 2020 COVID shutdowns until now and claimed “more guns lead to more shootings.”

Jackson said, “We rely on the ATF to ensure that firearms do not end up in the hands of those who should not have them. That’s all, that’s all they do.”

She then talked about other things the ATF does, like “regulate the purchase and transfer of firearms, licensing of firearms, manufacturers and dealers, and innovations within the industry, to ensure compliance with federal law. Particularly when manufacturers and dealers attempt to circumvent long standing statutes and regulation.”

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. AWR Hawkins holds a Ph.D. in Military History, with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.