With President Trump back in the White House, gun owners have a historic opportunity to roll back decades of unconstitutional gun control and rein in an out-of-control Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). But that won’t happen if the next ATF Director is another entrenched bureaucrat, picked from the same establishment ranks that have targeted gun owners for years.
Recent reports indicate that Attorney General Pam Bondi is considering a “seasoned law enforcement veteran” to head the ATF, a troubling signal for Second Amendment supporters. This same tired “law and order” approach has led to countless ATF abuses, from Waco to Ruby Ridge, and more recently, the agency’s unlawful crackdowns on homemade firearms, pistol braces, and FFLs through Biden’s “Zero Tolerance” policy.
For decades, the ATF has been at the center of the federal government’s war on gun owners, using ambiguous regulations and bureaucratic rule changes to criminalize law-abiding Americans. It was ATF bureaucrats who expanded the National Firearms Act (NFA) enforcement to include things like suppressors and homemade firearms. It was ATF rulemaking—not congressional legislation—that turned millions of pistol brace owners into felons overnight. And it was ATF agents who raided the home of airport executive Bryan Malinowski over the alleged sale of a few firearms, ultimately leading to his death.
Now, with a pro-Second Amendment administration in charge, there is no excuse for appointing another “seasoned” enforcement officer who will continue business as usual. The next ATF Director should be a constitutionalist who understands that the Second Amendment is a restriction on government, not on the people. It’s time for a leader who will dismantle the bureaucratic overreach that has plagued gun owners for decades and set the agency on a path toward complete abolishment.
Pam Bondi’s Troubling Anti-Gun History
Attorney General Pam Bondi’s past raises additional concerns about the direction of the ATF under her leadership. While serving as Florida’s Attorney General under former Governor Rick Scott, Bondi backed gun control measures that weakened Second Amendment protections in the Sunshine State.
Most notably, she supported Florida’s post-Parkland gun control bill, which included “Red Flag” confiscation laws and raised the age for purchasing a rifle to 21—policies that directly infringed on law-abiding citizens’ rights. While some have argued that Scott was the driving force behind these betrayals, Bondi did nothing to stand in the way, nor did she challenge these blatant violations of constitutional rights.
Given this record, Second Amendment supporters should be watching Bondi closely as she conducts her audit of Biden’s failed gun control policies. This review—directed by President Trump’s executive order—is a critical test. Will Bondi recommend rolling back unconstitutional ATF policies like the pistol brace ban, the “Zero Tolerance” policy, and Biden’s expanded gun registry? Or will she protect the bureaucracy at the expense of gun owners?
What Needs to Happen
