By: Kayleigh Hamilton
Donald Trump may be about to bring the hammer down on the ATF.
He made a move that has the anti-gun lobby very nervous.
And the ATF will be panicking over what this move means.
Donald Trump still has not taken action to directly repeal any gun control, but he may be starting to move in that direction.
His latest decision will give hope to gun owners who were concerned about the type of approach Trump might take to the gun issue, given his mixed track record in the past.
Trump received widespread support from the gun community in the last election, which is understandable considering how radically anti-gun Kamala Harris was as a candidate.
But now that Trump is the man in charge once again, gun owners are going to have high expectations for him, and many have wondered whether those expectations will be met.
The jury is still out on that question, but the indications are getting more positive, and Trump’s latest move should provide a lot of hope.
Trump made the first move towards getting rid of anti-gun bureaucratic regulations that have accumulated over multiple administrations.
According to Courthouse News Service, “President Donald Trump on Friday issued an executive order demanding a whole-of-government review of federal firearms regulations, a move which appeared aimed at papering over gun safety policies inked by the Joe Biden administration.
“But the Trump White House’s decree went further than simply undoing Biden’s legacy — its broad mandate invites the possibility of an even more expansive relaxation of federal gun rules.”
Of course, this is currently just in the review stage, and hasn’t actually turned into concrete policies yet, but it is the first step towards some real changes.
This will have gun owners very excited, but they would be best served to continue putting pressure on Trump until he takes direct action.
The article continues, “Among the areas subject to review are all presidential and agency actions implemented from January 2021 to January 2025 — spanning the breadth of the Biden administration. The White House instructed the Justice Department to locate actions that ‘purport to promote safety but may have impinged on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.’”
“Under the Biden administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms further clamped down on the proliferation of certain firearms accessories during the Biden presidency. The agency issued regulations banning the use of pistol braces and bump stocks — though the Supreme Court in June struck down the ATF’s bump stock ban.”
It appears that the ATF may be a key target of this move by Trump, and they are surely getting very nervous about the moves that Trump is making.
In fact, their outgoing director said openly that he was nervous about what Trump would do to the agency during his second term in office.
It appears that he may be on his way to fulfilling the hopes of gun owners, but nothing is set in stone until he goes beyond the review stage and takes direct action.