We are seeing a great deal of change within the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives). Going the way of the Dodo are many draconian and punitive polices put in place by the extremist left gun control lobby to restrict your Second Amendment protected rights. But be warned, just because the new – in reality the previously abandoned and replaced – polices are steering the agency back on a course of partnering with the firearm industry today, doesn’t mean it’s going to stay that way.
For those of us who were used to the ATF working with the firearm industry instead of against it, these changes are most certainly welcome. Among the changes:
Cancellation of the so-called “Zero Tolerance” policy which automatically revoked Federal Firearm Licensees (FFLs) license for minor and inconsequential paperwork errors.
The Demand 2 Program is ending. Otherwise known as “name and shame”, required FFLs with 25 or more firearms traced back to them following the recovery at a crime scene, and the time from retail sale to trace is three years or less, be automatically flagged for additional scrutiny, regardless of whether or not they had complied with all applicable laws and regulations. Initiated in February of 2000 during the anti-gun Clinton administration, the program implied the retailers had done something wrong, even if they followed the exact letter of the law. These confidential results from ATF firearm traces were often released to anti-gun groups for publication.
The restrictions on non-lethal training rounds used by military, law enforcement and civilian force-on-force training scenarios and fired from “specific-use guns that can’t fire standard ammunition” have been removed. These rounds are now not considered ammunition because they are not designed for offensive combat and are not designed or for use in any firearm.
The ban on so-called “dual use” barrels has been reversed. Dual-use barrels were banned for import in 2005, if those barrels could be used in a firearm determined to be “non-sporting.” Now, the ATF views those barrels as importable, as long as they can be used with sporting purpose guns.
We also see the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has sent staff to the Agency with the goal of revising or eliminating more than 50 rules and gun restrictions by July 4. While a momentous task with the potential to reduce or eliminate many administrative roadblocks within the ATF, we have no indication if these will be internal operations or external Second Amendment impacting policies.
Among the changes being considered is a reduction in the number of Industry Operations Investigator (IOIs) by two thirds, 541 of the estimated 800 currently on staff. The workforce reductions are part of the DOJ’s plan to merge the ATF and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) into one agency.
This proposed merger however is a real head scratcher. It’s unlikely you could find two more oppositely focused agencies. One primarily deals with lawful, Second Amendment protected firearms rights, the other primarily deals with unlawful, trafficking and use of illegal substances. Like many, I am dubious of this plan.
Meanwhile, let’s consider the policy changes at the ATF. Supposedly new management and oversight brought in with the new administration is returning the agency to its role as an industry partner and investigator and enforcer of the illegal firearms market. For those of us involved in the firearms industry, this is obviously a very good thing when compared to the previous administration who fundamentally turned policy and direction of the ATF over to the gun control lobby.
But therein lies the rub. The previous anti-gun administration turned the ATF into a gun control organization. This more pro-Second Amendment administration is returning the ATF to an industry partner/investigator of illegal activities agency. What will happen when the next anti-gun administration comes into power?
We’ve already seen federal agencies roles mutated across the board. The FBI went from being the nation’s premier law enforcement agency to a domestic political spy agency more concerned with parents’ free speech at school board meetings than threats to national security or crime. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Air Marshals were concentrating on covertly transporting unvetted illegal aliens and monitoring anyone who spoke out against the program. Customs and Border Protection became the illegals and smugglers welcome wagon and valet service. While these agencies are supposedly being refocused to their actual roles, I don’t believe anyone is going to fully trust this will be a permanent change.
I suppose the good news is with the United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS) overturning the 1984 Chevron case, it will make it more difficult for federal agencies to create and interpret the law themselves. This of course assumes future administrations will follow the law and SCOTUS will uphold the eventual challenges to violations.
Where does this leave us peasants? Skeptical at best. We need to embrace and celebrate the changes BACK to where we were before but to also prepare for the eventuality of when the wind blows in the other direction.
Perhaps now is a good time to consider who we vote for in the 2026 midterms and STOP SENDING PEOPLE WHO WILL TAKE AWAY OUR RIGHTS TO REPRESENT US!
Bob
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