Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach answers questions from reporters during a news conference outside his office May 1, 2023, in Topeka, Kan. (AP Photo/John Hanna, File)

During a Kansas House committee hearing Tuesday, state Attorney General Kris Kobach (R) contended that regulations implemented by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) violate the Second Amendment.

Kobach’s words came in a hearing about House Concurrent Resolution 5020, a bill that would amend the Kansas Constitution to recognize the right to bear arms extends to ammunition, firearm accessories and firearm components. When asked whether there has been a specific threat to Second Amendment rights to warrant the HCR 5020, Kobach cited ATF regulations such as the private exchange of firearms without a federal license.

“In the current administration in Washington, the ATF has been pressed to stretch the limits of its statutory authority and do things that the federal statutes, in my opinion, do not authorize, Kobach said. “They’re going beyond their statutory authority.”

The ATF is a law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice. The agency was formed in 1971, and one of its main functions is to regulate and enforce restrictions to prevent the use of firearms in violent crimes.

“So I think that’s the threat,” Kobach continued. “If you have a federal regulatory agency that’s going beyond its statutory authority and arguably violating the Second amendment, we’ll see when these cases get to the high court. Then that’s a threat to Second Amendment rights.”