The resignation of ATF Director Steve Dettelbach is a moment that Second Amendment advocates across the nation should celebrate. Dettelbach, who led the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) under the Biden administration, has officially announced he will step down on January 18, 2025, just days before President Trump’s inauguration and reclamation of the White House. While gun-grabbing liberals may point to his tenure’s so-called “successes,” those of us who cherish our God-given rights know that his leadership has been a disaster for gun owners everywhere.

Under Dettelbach’s watch, the ATF has ramped up its attacks on law-abiding Americans who simply wish to exercise their Second Amendment rights. Whether it was flip-flopping on the legality of gun accessories like pistol braces, cracking down on gun stores and gun shows, or overzealously targeting firearms manufacturers, the agency under Dettelbach has only strengthened its reputation as an adversary to freedom-loving gun owners.

But now, with Dettelbach’s resignation, an opportunity has emerged that gun rights advocates simply cannot ignore: President Trump has the chance to appoint a new ATF director who actually respects the Second Amendment and understands firearms. Alternatively, Trump could take the bold and long-overdue step of dismantling this unconstitutional agency altogether.

For far too long, the ATF has acted as a rogue enforcer of left-wing gun control policies. It is an agency that thrives on expanding its power and punishing those who legally and responsibly own firearms. It is time for the American people to recognize the ATF for what it truly is: an out-of-control bureaucracy that has no place in a nation that values individual liberty.

As the ATF’s most recent actions have shown, this agency is not content simply enforcing laws. Under Dettelbach, it has morphed into an overreaching force that terrorizes gun owners and small business owners in the firearms industry, often in the name of public safety. The ATF’s crackdown on gun accessories like pistol braces, an outright attempt to regulate law-abiding gun owners out of existence, stands as one of the most flagrant examples of this bureaucratic overreach. This should never be tolerated in a country founded on the principles of freedom and self-defense.

That’s why the resignation of Steve Dettelbach gives us hope. If President Trump is serious about his commitment to protecting the Second Amendment, now is the time to make meaningful changes. We are calling on President Trump to either appoint someone who will reign in the ATF and halt its politically motivated assault on gun owners or take the radical step of dismantling the agency entirely.

Many within the pro-gun community, including the NRA and Gun Owners of America, are already looking ahead to Trump’s potential pick for the next ATF director. As Erich Pratt from Gun Owners of America rightly said, we need someone who understands the rights of gun owners and has no intention of weaponizing the ATF against those who wish to exercise their Second Amendment rights. A director with actual knowledge of firearms—who knows the difference between a pistol and a semiautomatic rifle—would be a breath of fresh air in a position that has long been filled by anti-gun zealots.

It is clear that the next ATF director should not be someone who views modern firearms as “weapons of war” or engages in dishonest rhetoric about non-existent “gun show loopholes.” We need a leader who will stand up for gun owners, protect their rights, and stop the harassment of responsible small business owners and firearms retailers. More importantly, we need someone who will halt the illegal creation of gun registries and end the ATF’s incessant war on American gun owners.

In the best-case scenario, President Trump will use this moment not just to appoint a new leader for the ATF, but to dismantle the agency completely. The ATF, which was originally intended to combat organized crime and illegal trafficking of firearms, has long since abandoned that mission in favor of policing law-abiding citizens who simply wish to exercise their constitutional right to bear arms. It is time to eliminate this oppressive agency once and for all.

The opportunity is clear. President Trump now has the power to choose whether to appoint a director who respects the Constitution or take the bold step of ending the ATF’s reign of terror over American gun owners. It is time for this nation to move beyond the outdated and tyrannical structures that have been used to infringe upon our rights.

Texans know better than most the importance of standing firm against government overreach. We will continue to fight to defend our rights, and we will hold President Trump accountable to ensure that the Second Amendment is never again compromised by federal bureaucrats.

It’s time for a new direction for the ATF—or better yet, it’s obliteration.

Texas Gun Rights stands with gun owners across the nation in calling for an end to the ATF’s unconstitutional actions. We will fight for the freedom to protect ourselves and our families, and we won’t stop until every American’s right to keep and bear arms is fully restored and respected.