What It Will Take to Reform ATF?

We’ve written a lot about the ATF over the years. That’s because the ATF is no gun owner’s favorite three-letter agency, and that’s saying something in a world where the FBI engages in some of its shenanigans. But there’s a new sheriff in town for both agencies. Strangely enough, it’s the same sheriff, who has a long history of valuing the right to keep and bear arms.

It’s a positive sign, to say the least, and a lot of us have high expectations.

But Dave Workman, writing over at Ammoland, correctly notes that no matter how much Kash Patel would like to do in reforming the ATF, at least some of it is up to pro-gun legislators in Congress.

The appointment of FBI Director Kash Patel as acting head of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is bringing calls for an overhaul of the embattled federal gun agency, but in order to bring about real change, gun control laws must be altered or even repealed as well.

This would constitute genuine “gun reform,” a term which has been corrupted by the gun prohibition lobby as camo-speak for gun control.

The prospect has anti-gunners fearful and furious at the same time, as illustrated by a remark from Democrat Congresswoman Robin Kelly of Illinois, quoted by Fox News, calling Patel “a gun lobby puppet who has no business leading the FBI or the ATF.” Translation: ATF and FBI is exactly where Patel belongs, at least for the time being.

Where to begin with gun law reform? Congressional Republicans must be all aboard, and they have only two years to really get this done, prior to the mid-term elections of 2026.

That’s just how it is, and there are certain things that have to be done that only Congress can do, such as repealing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and at least reforming the Gun Control Act and the National Firearms Act to some degree, such as removing suppressors from the NFA list and potentially killing the 1986 Machine Gun ban.

And that’s just the start.

But while Patel can roll back an awful lot of ATF rules that the agency itself put in place, and doing that would make a world of difference, there’s still a lot to be done. I think the White House has the will to back it. The question is whether Congress has the guts to act.

At least some of the polling suggests that many people prefer more gun control to less, but that polling doesn’t really break it down as to where those anti-gun voices are. I suspect most Republican lawmakers would be safe enough backing legislation to restore gun rights because they don’t represent most of those who want more gun control.

And even there, the support for gun control is waning.

In addition to the legislation, Workman has an interesting suggestion for something that can be done that won’t require any legislation at all.

One final thought, which seems to appeal to gun owners in states such as Washington, Oregon, California, New York and other places with increasingly restrictive gun laws, is that the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division should target state laws which deprive citizens of their constitutional rights under color of such laws.

The Office of Civil Rights is absolutely something that the Department of Justice could use to go after these anti-gun states. The Second  Amendment is a civil liberty and infringing on a civil liberty should warrant a smackdown from the OCR.

I think this is a brilliant suggestion and applaud Workman for suggesting it.

Look the next couple of years could be absolutely amazing for gun rights, but we cannot just assume those potential gains will just fall from the sky. We have a lot to do and it’s time we start pushing hard for our rights to be restored. Luckily, this is the best chance many of us have ever seen to accomplish much of anything on that score, so let’s step it up.