The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is reportedly considering a major restructuring of federal law enforcement—this time by merging the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The proposed merger comes on the heels of some notably positive moves by the DOJ.
Additionally, the appointment of Robert Leider as Chief Counsel to the ATF has been praised in pro-gun circles. Leider, a staunch constitutionalist, is known for his legal scholarship that challenges the very foundation of federal firearms regulation.
But despite these developments, gun owners across the country aren’t buying the idea that a merger is enough.
In fact, groups like Texas Gun Rights (TXGR) are sounding the alarm. “Merging the ATF with the DEA is just rearranging deck chairs on a sinking ship,” said Chris McNutt, President of TXGR. “We’re not here for a bureaucratic Band-Aid. Congress needs to pass H.R. 221 and abolish the ATF—full stop.”
TXGR is also urging Congress to pass H.R. 335, which would repeal the National Firearms Act (NFA). The NFA has long served as the legal bedrock for many of the ATF’s most controversial enforcement actions—regulating everything from suppressors to short-barreled rifles under the guise of “public safety.”
“The NFA is the root of the problem,” McNutt said. “Without dismantling it, any agency enforcing its rules—ATF, DEA, or otherwise—will slide right back into the same power grabs we’ve seen for decades.”
Gun owners have grown increasingly skeptical of the ATF’s behavior in recent years, especially under the Biden administration’s push for universal background checks, pistol brace bans, and “zero-tolerance” policies aimed at shutting down gun stores over minor paperwork errors.
While the DOJ may think combining agencies is a solution, millions of gun owners across the country aren’t looking for bureaucratic reshuffling—they’re demanding the full restoration of their Second Amendment rights.
Until Congress acts to abolish the ATF and repeal the NFA, the threat to gun rights will remain alive—whether it wears an ATF badge or a DEA one.
