The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is once again demonstrating its utter contempt for the rule of law and the rights of American gun owners. A recent leak reveals that the ATF continues to classify Forced Reset Triggers (FRTs) as machine guns, despite multiple court rulings affirming that FRTs do not meet the legal definition of a machine gun. This blatant disregard for the judiciary is just the latest chapter in the ATF’s long history of overreach and unconstitutional enforcement actions.

The Supreme Court’s ruling in Cargill v. Garland made it crystal clear: a firearm accessory that requires a separate trigger pull for each round fired is not a machine gun. The ATF’s attempt to classify bump stocks as machine guns was soundly rejected by the nation’s highest court, and the same legal principle applies to FRTs. In NAGR v. Garland, a federal judge issued an injunction explicitly prohibiting the ATF from enforcing its unconstitutional FRT classification. But the rogue agency doesn’t seem to care.

Instead of respecting judicial authority, the ATF has continued informing law enforcement agencies that FRTs are machine guns, potentially setting up unsuspecting gun owners for unconstitutional raids, seizures, and prosecutions. This is lawlessness from an unelected bureaucracy that sees itself as above Congress, the courts, and the Constitution.

But in their latest example of overreach, recent reports show that the ATF is still enforcing its 2023 pistol brace rule, despite multiple federal court injunctions barring such enforcement. The rule mandates that pistols equipped with stabilizing braces be registered as short-barreled rifles, with failure to comply potentially resulting in severe penalties, including up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

A recently discovered letter from the ATF’s Firearms Industry Programs Branch asserts that this requirement—directly contradicting court rulings that enjoin the agency from enforcing the rule. This proves yet again that the ATF has no intention of following the law, instead pushing its anti-gun agenda regardless of judicial oversight.

Congress and President Trump Must Rein in the ATF’s Anti-Gun Overreach

This latest leak confirms what Second Amendment advocates have known for years: the ATF is an unchecked, anti-gun enforcement arm of the federal government that tramples on the rights of law-abiding Americans at every opportunity. This agency is beyond reform. It must be abolished.

Congress has the power to defund and dismantle the ATF, and it is long past time to do so. Every Republican member of the House and Senate who claims to support the Second Amendment must take immediate action to strip the ATF of its funding and authority. The American people did not elect bureaucrats to rewrite laws and criminalize gun ownership at their whim.

Additionally, President Donald Trump must prioritize the complete dissolution of the ATF. Trump has already shown his willingness to take bold action to defend the Second Amendment with his recent Executive Order. Now, he must go further—fire the anti-gun bureaucrats, shut down the ATF, and restore power to Congress and the courts where it belongs.

Abolish the ATF and Restore the Second Amendment

For decades, the ATF has operated as an unaccountable, politically motivated agency with an agenda to chip away at the Second Amendment. It has harassed gun store owners, targeted law-abiding citizens, and twisted definitions to justify its draconian enforcement actions. The agency has proven it cannot be trusted to act within the bounds of the law.

America doesn’t need the ATF. The Constitution already provides clear limitations on government overreach, and law enforcement agencies at the state and local levels are more than capable of handling criminal activity without a federal gun-control agency dictating unconstitutional edicts.

Congress must move swiftly to defund the ATF, and President Trump must make its abolition a priority. No unelected bureaucracy should have the power to strip Americans of their constitutional rights. The ATF’s lawlessness must end, and the only way to ensure that happens is to shut it down once and for all.

Join the fight to protect your Second Amendment rights. Contact your representatives today by clicking here and demand they take action to defund and dismantle the ATF before it’s too late!