House Democrats Target ATF’s Proposed Rule on Gun Sales

The gun control lobby is hoping to derail a rule proposed by the ATF that would allow for non-over-the-counter sales of firearms, and they’re enlisting the help of anti-gun politicians. 

On Thursday we covered New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s announcement that she’ll be introducing legislation requiring gun sales to be conducted in person, which would negate the ATF’s proposed rule, at least in the Empire State. Hochul’s not the only elected official taking aim at the rule, though. Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee have released a letter to ATF Director Robert Cekada calling on the agency to rescind at least four of the more than 30 proposed rule changes, including the one that would allow for non-over-the-counter sales. 

The Democrats claim that the rule would open up “significant new avenues for gun trafficking and straw purchasing.” 

Although these new remote sales would still involve a background check, firearms dealers would no longer be able to look for clues that a potential buyer intends to immediately resell the gun in violation of the straw purchasing offense that Congress enacted in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. This proposed rule would weaken the ability of licensed firearms dealers to serve as the first line of defense against illegal gun sales and allow more firearms to be diverted to the illegal market where they are disproportionately used to commit crimes. ATF estimates that this change would result in nearly 2 million online gun sales per year.

It’s odd to see Democrats calling FFLs the “first line of defense against illegal gun sales,” since they’re normally blaming gun store owners and employees for arming criminals. And honestly, given the multiple steps for the online verification process outlined by the ATF, I doubt that many prospective straw purchasers would go through the rigamarole that would be required for a non-over-the-counter sale. It would still be easier and quicker for a would-be straw buyer to make their purchase in person. 

The Democrats on the committee also allege that the ATF is proposing the rule change to benefit Donald Trump, Jr. 

If the public safety implications of this proposed rule do not move you to reconsider, please consider its ethical flaws. President Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., stands to profit from this rule change. He owns a stake in an online firearms retailer and sits on the company’s board.The CEO recently bragged on an investor call that the company is “uniquely positioned” to profit from this rule and other related proposed rules that the company hopes will enable it to become the “Amazon of guns.” If this rule is enacted, Congress will certainly have reason to believe that millions of Americans were put at risk so that the President’s family might profit.

Trump, Jr. has a 1.1 percent stake in Grab-a-Gun, which is currently valued at around $4 million. Let’s assume for the sake of argument that the proposed rule takes effect and Trump’s stake doubles or even triples in value. That would still be a small fraction of his estimated $300 million net worth. 

Even if the rule benefits companies like Grab-a-Gun, it’s not going to make Trump, Jr. rich. He already is. 

The gun control groups aren’t the only ones objecting to the ATF’s proposed rule. As Second Amendment Foundation’s Kostas Moros pointed out on X, the rule change is also getting pushback from many FFLs. 

Man, a TON of the comments on the proposed rule that would allow non-over-the-counter gun sales are opposition not from antigunners (though they have some as well), but from brick and mortar FFLs clearly upset that they’d be forced to compete with online sellers….as every other…

— Kostas Moros (@MorosKostas) July 30, 2026

I think it’s a legitimate concern, but I also don’t believe that’s reason enough to rescind the proposed rule change. As Moros notes, virtually every other brick-and-mortar retailer has been dealing with competition from online sellers for years now. And the ATF’s proposed rule would still require gun transfers to take place from an FFL located within the state where the buyer lives, so these same brick-and-mortar stores could actually benefit from the rule by expanding their customer base beyond the immediate area where their store is located. 

The public comment period for this proposed rule is still open, and you can submit your comment here. Don’t wait too long, though. The public comment period ends on August 6, so make your thoughts known as soon as possible. 

Editor’s Note: The radical Left will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.

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