The 2026 DEA budget just dropped, and buried in the fine print is a time bomb for the Second Amendment: a federal plan to merge the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)—creating a Frankenstein agency with explosive new power, less oversight, and a direct line of fire aimed squarely at law-abiding gun owners.
According to the official budget document, this merger is being sold as a tool to “eradicate cartel FTOs and eliminate violent crime,” but make no mistake: this isn’t about stopping crime.
It’s about concentrating federal power, weaponizing a rogue agency, and expanding its reach under the false banner of reform.
“That is not good.”
That’s how Brandon Herrera, a prominent Second Amendment voice and firearms YouTuber, described the merger proposal in his latest video.
Like many in the gun rights community, Herrera isn’t falling for the bait.
“What f***ing terrifies me is if we have the wrong person at the helm,” he warned. “Because now with this merger… you have a supercharged ATF with all of the resources of the DEA behind it.”
And Herrera is right.
Gun Owners of America revealed the details: this merger would triple the ATF’s budget, add 10,000 new employees, and quadruple tactical units. Not reduce the ATF’s influence—amplify it. Not hold the ATF accountable—bury it in another bureaucracy and strip away oversight.
And that’s not reform. That’s a power grab.
Merging Abuse With Abuse
For decades, the ATF has acted as a jackbooted relic of gun control’s darkest days.
From Waco to Ruby Ridge to the killing of Brian Malinowski, they’ve earned a reputation not for protecting Americans, but for violating their rights and evading accountability.
Merging the ATF with the DEA doesn’t neutralize that threat—it magnifies it.
As Herrera bluntly put it: “Merging DEA and ATF is not abolishing the ATF.”
He goes further, drawing a chilling parallel: “I do not want to see the assets of the war on drugs being oriented at the Second Amendment.”
Nor should anyone.
The same DEA that has helped militarize domestic policing and oversee civil liberties abuses in the drug war will now inherit ATF’s anti-gun mission—unless Congress steps in.
The Wrong Fix at the Worst Time
This move is coming from the Department of Justice, allegedly spearheaded by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch.
It’s not directly from President Trump—but if left unchallenged, it will define his administration’s record on gun rights and haunt Republicans come midterm season.
Herrera warned, “If they go forward on this thinking that this is going to be a win for gun owners, we’re fed. And I’m not sure we’ll be able to unf** that.**”
Let that sink in.
If the merger proceeds, the next anti-gun Democrat administration won’t have to rebuild the ATF—they’ll inherit a federal super-agency with an unaccountable arsenal already pointed at gun owners.
That’s why Herrera, like TXGR, is calling on patriots to raise hell now—before the 2026 midterms.
The Only Fix? Abolish the ATF
This proposal proves the point gun rights advocates have made for years: the ATF is beyond reform.
It cannot be fixed, restrained, or folded neatly into another agency without threatening every law-abiding American gun owner.
It must be abolished—fully, permanently, and before the 2026 elections.
Republicans hold a trifecta in Washington. If they fail to act now, the next leftist regime will pick up where the ATF left off—with a bigger budget, more agents, and fewer restraints.
This isn’t just a legislative battle. It’s a line in the sand.
Gun owners must demand Congress pass H.R. 221 to abolish the ATF, dismantle its enforcement authority, and shred the gun registry it’s already built in violation of federal law.
There is no room for hesitation. There is no room for compromise.
Abolish the ATF. Stop the merger. And defend the Second Amendment before it’s too late.
