Following the gross weaponization of the Department of Justice(DOJ) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) by the Biden Administration, President Donald Trump issued an executive order on February 7 instructing Attorney General Pam Bondi to begin investigating the ATF to determine agency actions need to be rolled back.
Now, 30 U.S. Senators are attempting to expedite that process by sending a letter to ATF Deputy Director Marvin G. Richardson, urging the agency to take immediate action to eliminate some of the arguably unconstitutional “final rules” published by the DOJ and ATF during the Biden presidency.
“Under former President Joe Biden, ATF adopted numerous policies and rules that infringed upon Americans’ Second Amendment protections,” the letter began. “President Trump’s Executive Order directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to review and develop a plan of action regarding President Biden’s unlawful firearms regulations. We ask that you work with the Attorney General to quickly identify and rescind these policies.”
One of the leaders of the effort to send the letter, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, took to social media to explain his reasoning.
“Proud to lead 29 of my Senate GOP colleagues in sending a letter to the ATF urging them to comply with @POTUS’ executive order & rescind multiple unlawful firearm regulations from the Biden admin,” Sen. Cornyn posted on X, formerly Twitter.
The letter to ATF leaders specifically pointed out four pieces of “rulemaking” for ATF leaders to address. They included the rule redefining who is “engaged in the business” of selling firearms, the pistol braced rule that redefined braced pistols as “short-barreled rifles” under the National Firearms Act, the so-called “ghost gun” rule that bans the longstanding tradition of Americans making their own firearms and Biden’s “zero-policy” rule for gun sellers, which purposely put many firearms retailers out of business for simple clerical errors.
The senators also demanded that ATF destroy millions of records that it has no business possessing under federal law.
“In addition to promptly rescinding these rules and policies, we urge you to immediately destroy the hundreds of millions of ATF Form 4473 firearm transaction records and other licensee records that are over 20 years old,” the senators wrote. “These records have no particular law enforcement value but do contain the sensitive information of millions of law-abiding gun owners.”
One pro-gun organization quick to embrace the letter was the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the firearms industry trade association.
“The previous administration wielded the ATF like a hammer and anvil against the firearm industry, turning the regulatory agency into one that punished and carried out a radical gun control agenda designed to diminish Second Amendment rights,” Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel, said in a news release supporting the letter. “President Donald Trump—along with Senator John Cornyn and these dozens of other senators—are righting the ship and returning ATF to its mandated role as a law enforcement agency focused on combatting violent crime and to act as a non-partisan regulator of the firearm industry.
“NSSF has protested these rules ever since they were announced and is heartened that the Trump administration and the Senate are acting quickly to protect Second Amendment rights and the lawful firearm industry. NSSF encourages ATF to act quickly on Senator Cornyn’s letter and enact these reforms to roll back unconstitutional overreaches brought by the Biden administration.”
Ultimately, the senators made it clear that the infringements addressed in the letter weren’t an exhaustive list.
“The foregoing should not be considered a full accounting of every action or policy for which ATF may be held responsible under President Trump’s Executive Order but represent obvious and high priority places for ATF to initiate compliance,” the senators concluded. “We look forward to working with you through the transition as you implement President Trump’s agenda and reorient ATF toward protecting Americans’ Second Amendment rights.”
Other Republican senators signing the letter along with Sen. Cornyn included Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, John Thune of South Dakota, Thom Tillis and Redd Budd of North Carolina, John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Shelley Moore Capito and Jim Justice of West Virginia, Jim Risch and Mike Crapo of Idaho, Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy of Montana, and Ted Cruz of Texas. Still others included Sens. Kevin Cramer and John Hoeven of North Dakota, James Lankford and Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, Roger Marshall and Jerry Moran of Kansas, Rick Scott of Florida, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Bill Hagerty and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Pete Ricketts and Deb Fischer of Nebraska, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Todd Young of Indiana, and Jim Banks of Indiana.
“The previous administration wielded the ATF like a hammer and anvil against the firearm industry, turning the regulatory agency into one that punished and carried out a radical gun control agenda designed to diminish Second Amendment rights,”
“and use trigger happy thugs to employ deadly force to kill and terrorize innocent law abiding American citizens.”
FIFY
atf..HQ for Gun Control an agenda History Confirms is Rooted in Racism and Genocide…No mention of that fact in the letter and there lies the problem.
Hey Mr. Keane! Don’t elevate Senator Cornyn, like he’s helping. He’s part of the problem. They always do this because voters have short memories. Six years is a long term that gives them plenty of room to screw us over. Didn’t Cornyn say this was his last term when he was trying to tamp down the backlash from his stupid “bipartisan” effort to enact the “most expansive gun control in 30 years?”
Mark Chesnut, why aren’t you bringing up what Cornyn previously did? We should be mentioning that every time his name comes up. Glossing over things like that is why we’ve lost for so long.
Why? Because Mark Chesnut is a Bush Boy. Only fitting he simps for Cornyn.
Hear, hear. Chesnut owes me a new keyboard.
👍🏼
Ask, Senators ask the ATF?
They did what Biden TOLD them to do but Senators must petition and ask.
Congress does not have the authority to TELL them to do anything without passing a bill. The ATF is after all an executive branch agency.
and biden had f all to do with it.
The separation of powers isn’t as bright of a line as you suggest because humans have this thing called a “threat” which they can deploy.
Just like the mob doesn’t have to actually break your legs to get your money.
Congress has the purse strings and oversight capacity. Even if they can’t muster the votes to cut funding now, they can start a very embarrassing public investigation into the agency and its employees.
They just need the Will to exercise power and do these sorts of things. The Will is what they lack and that, frankly, is pathetic since this is… well, their literal job.
One might, perhaps, argue that Congress’ inability to get anything done makes it likely to be a paper tiger and that Congress doesn’t wish to put this on full display by making threats and failing to follow through. There’s a point there, I suppose, though I fail to see how Congress could fail to launch an investigation. If they can do the J6 Committee, they can investigate the ATF in public.
Yet, by doing nothing, they’re openly displaying themselves as less than a paper tiger, they’re not a tiger of any kind, but rather a lapdog that hands over cash on demand and cowers from fear of being beaten by the very sheep they’re meant to corral.
Most would rather that Congress at least attempt to do its job rather than openly shirking any and all responsibility. Which is something they quite clearly do since they haven’t passed an actual budget since 2009.
The other half should be primaried along with Cornyn.
AH John Cornyn never misses a chance to get at the head of the line of a successful operation…LOL RINO who sees his career warning light blinking
Vivek Ramaswamy was absolutely correct when he said, the president has the power to fire government employees. He doesn’t need the congress approval.
I’m glad Trump took his advice.
I don’t believe there is political will to eliminate a department of the government at this point. But exposing waste fraud and abuse is making it very easy, to hollow out these departments.
I’m getting what I wanted. A smaller government.
Chris T,
“I don’t believe there is political will to eliminate a department of the government at this point.”
I beg to differ (and I am NOT one to give Trump adulation without success (and I purely hate SOME of his policies)), but I will say that Trump/Musk’s DOGE effort, as structured, was brilliant.
The timing, and the “shock and awe” nature of it, were dramatically effective, and so long as Elon keeps publishing his (daily, these days) list of Ws (obvious instances of waste, fraud, corruption), they have the momentum. The Dept. of Education is such a manifest useless, money-wasting disaster that I think it may be the first to go (the teachers’ unions will fight tooth and nail, but it could very well be eliminated, but it will CERTAINLY be trimmed back ‘YUGELY’). The Dept. of Energy will be harder, but is still “low-hanging fruit”. BATFE is slightly harder, due to the Dims fanatic obsession with racist/classist/fascistic ‘gun control’, will be a tougher fight, but I certainly haven’t given up hope.
National carry reciprocity simply brings ‘gun control’ into line with other interstate regulations (any driver’s license, from any state, allows you to drive anywhere in the US). Probably won’t get there, but I have hopes. The FDA is a joke, and has been for years (the next Dim/Leftist/fascist idiot (ah, but I repeat myself) who tells me to my face that I should “follow the science” is going to get an earful) – the FDA and their infamous “food pyramid” nutrition advice has, during MY lifetime:
1. Touted sugar as a ‘natural’ food and a viable source of nutrition (to support the then-failing US sugar industry);
2. Then touted ‘high-fructose corn syrup’ as a ‘healthy alternative’ to refined sugar (to support the midwest corn farmer (don’t worry, the FDA/DOE then replaced that with ethanol requirement for gasoline to support the same grifters);
3. Supported beef, etc. as a good ‘natural’ source of protein and nutrition, then went all in for ‘less/no’ beef in our diets in support of the latest trendy nutrition fad;
4. Supported fish as a ‘healthy’ alternative to red meat (at a time when we were importing much of our fish from Asian countries), again in support of an objectively stupid, trendy ‘healthy nutrition’ fad;
5. Supported pasta and carbohydrates as a major element of the food pyramid (to support midwest wheat farmers), then turned around and told us to ‘eat fewer carbohydrates (the actual SCIENCE on these choices hasn’t much changed).
These idiots flop in the wind like limp flags in response to the latest fad, political trend, ‘trendy’ health advice, etc. When the records now CLEARLY disclose that Anthony Fauxi and Deborah Birx were LYING THEIR @$$ES OFF, to Congress and the American people, and the Leftist/fascist idiots were making candles in their images and worshipping every STUPID thing they said, I think the whole “follow the science” thing, as it is employed by the modern Left and government (ah, but AGAIN I repeat myself!), I think their version of “follow the science” is, like their worn out race card, a spent force. Only complete Leftist/fascist morons, like our own MajorLiar, could, with a straight face, point to ANY recent government initiative and say, “SEE!! Follow the ‘Science’ (TM)!!)” Those idiots wouldn’t know REAL science if it fell out of the sky, landed on their face, and started to wiggle.
So, I have SOME hope that we may see a significant cutback (if not, in some instances, a complete demolition of) in some of the bloated, inefficient, incompetent, wasteful, useless (or, more often, actually HARMFUL) federal government. I won’t predict, or make a bet on it, but I remain hopeful. If nothing else, Trump/Musk/DOGE have certainly shined a light on the shameful waste, fraud, and abuse of our ‘beneficent’ federal government.
To them politics is science and the only science they follow.
Political Science should go back to its original name, which actually made sense: Political Economy.
IRL, PoliSci isn’t really political, it’s much more of a management/pre-law/philosophy/best practices/civics discipline. It just interfaces with politics because politics is the mechanism by which those things are all [usually poorly] attempted.
Outside naming schema which mostly comes from scientific polling, the real issue with PoliSci is the type of person it attracts. There are essentially two groups, which basically follow the same lines as politicians.
In the smaller group there are those who want to learn how the system is meant to operate and what mistakes have been made in the past so as to be better at engaging in public service and fix problems.
Then there’s the much larger group which wishes to learn the most effective ways to game and short circuit the system for personal gain.
As noted, this is basically a mirror of the breakdown of politicians. Probably because PolySci is a gateway to being an advisor and therefore a mechanism to get close to power but without the risk of actually being a politician.
A lot of PoliSci majors are basically doing what Obama did. He became a Constitutional lawyer so he could figure out how to get around the Constitution. Many PoliSci people do the exact same thing but without the expense of obtaining a JD. Perhaps oddly, they’re often smarter than the people who actually do get the JD.
Which isn’t me trying to shit on lawyers generally, I’m simply noting my experience. Of the people I went to school with who became lawyers, two were very smart the other five were so stupid you’d fear for your life if you needed them to get you a black cup of coffee.
All five of the certified oxygen thieves went to work for large FedGov agencies like the SSA. The two smart ones became prosecutors. Both of the latter, rather interestingly, specialized in prosecuting the worst of the worst, child abusers.
The USAID as a separate department is gone. And it’s over 2000 government employees are also gone. Save for a group of around 200.
This is the beginning of attacking the “Achilles heal” of government spending. And no conservative and no Libertarian ever thought of it.
We have all talked about eliminating the department of education. And that has been a pipe dream because everybody knows that there is no political will to do that.
One of my many problems with libertarian’s is they are really incapable of using political power.
Congressman Justin amosh, a libertarian, never did what Marjorie Taylor Green did. When she called for a vote on everything the House of Representatives ever did. She did more to slow down government progression than anyone in recent memory.
And Senator Jeff Flake another Libertarian was useless in the Senate.
She forced everyone to go on record for everything they ever support. Because of her they could not hide behind a voice quote.
Trump has only been an office for 30 days. And he has accomplished quite a lot actually. Because of the USAID embarrassment, Trump is now able to build a case that the general public can understand against spending more government money.
Even people who don’t pay attention to politics like most here on TTTAG. They do understand how wasteful USAID has been.
President Trump is making a so much better case for cutting government, by example, than anybody in or out of politics outright now.
And yes everyone hates executive orders. Until now.
And if they got elected, no Libertarian President will have the executive power to just make the department of education just go away. That libertarians will have to go through congress. Just like Trump will have to go through congress.
Inorder to repeal the NFA. Short of a complete repeal Trump could hollow out the enforcement of it.
Trump is now going after the IRS!!!
I see the Left is jumping to defend the tax collectors. Good. I hope they continue to defend that and defend sending USAID money, to promote atheism and [email protected] sex in religious countries.
No wonder the third world hates us so much.
Chris T,
Well, once again, I am sorry that a “libertarian” stole your girlfriend, but . . . as Inigo Montoya said, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
T. Jefferson was a ‘libertarian’. Like “democrat” used to (and, unfortunately, “republican” still does) encompass a wide range of actual policies and beliefs. Now, if your definition of ‘libertarian’ is the chosen candidate of the “Libertarian Party” (gag!!), given several of the recent choices that they made, I can kinda get where you are coming from, BUT . . . Jo Jorgensen was not perfect, but MILES better than the prior two idiots. Chaz Oliver was meh!, but still better than Gary and Evan McMuffin.
If I called you a “republican” or even a “conservative” that is not really descriptive of your beliefs or the policies you personally champion (just like calling me a ‘libertarian’ tells you f*ck all about what I actually believe or what policies I support, or why). Context and discernment are your friends.
As for your ABSOLUTE statement that eliminating the DoEd is politically impossible? I simply disagree. I made it clear that I was neither predicting, nor betting on it, but if you don’t think it is more achievable right now than it has ever been since that objectively useless “agency” was invented, I simply don’t think you’re reading the tea leaves very well. Public opinion is overwhelmingly in favor of the Trump/Musk/Doge “slash and burn” approach. If they (as I suspect they will) achieve some serious savings and reductions of idiot, Leftist government programs, I think that momentum will grow. Sure, the Leftist/fascists, and the teacher’s unions (ah, but AGAIN I repeat myself!!), and the Congressional Dimocrats will fight like crazy to support their taxpayer-funded slush funds, but . . . the majority of the American public seems to be coalescing around the concept of chopping ‘waste, fraud, and abuse’.
Not saying it will be easy, not saying we’ll achieve what we’d LIKE to achieve, just that, this time, I think DJT has read the currents pretty well. If he really leans in to this radical reformation/reduction of .gov, I think he has a real chance to at least make some significant headway. Just sayin’, is all. The “Debbie Downer” approach you are currently advocating doesn’t seem to be of any value except to demoralize those making an effort to achieve it. If we lose, we lose, but . . . I’m glad someone(s) are actually making an effort. Don’t know about you, chief, but I lived (and went to school) when there WAS no federal “Department of Education”, and my education back then was objectively BETTER than the one my kids were getting, a few decades later (and their education was better than the idiotic drivel being dished out today, and mine was lesser than what my dear daddy received (in a crackerbox little K-12 school in rural Texas) a few decades before that).
The Federal DOE has accomplished NOTHING positive, and I think can reasonably be charged with some or all of the extreme negatives that we are seeing). Again, we may not win, but we sure as hell won’t if we don’t at least TRY.
The teacher’s union is simply a collection of like minded individuals. Who have come together for a common purpose. And have like minded goals. And are working as an organized group to achieve those goals.
And teachers unions are just like every other government employee Union. They are a threat to the republic. if any government employee, in any department, who goes on strike. They should be immediately fired. President Reagan led the way on that issue.
Unfortunately, it was President Kennedy who gave us government labor unions with an executive order.
The DOGE is a very effective weapon so far. If it can be used to end the department of education, I will be glad to have been proven wrong.
I also went to school before there was a federal department of education. And to now see a science teacher afraid to use a bunsen burner in a chemistry class. Because he doesn’t trust his students. Explains just how far we have fallen in basic science education.
As far as the libertarians go. I’ll wait and see. Tom Woods said on his podcast that in his words, “the worst kind of people are in the Libertarian Party now.”
Wheat ,corn, rice, cattle, chickens, hogs ect.
The price goes up farmer/ranchers get a cheap government loan, buy new equipment for better production ( feed the world) the price per bushel, livestock plummets, see sawing back and forth until farmer/ ranchers can’t pay the bank note. Foreclosure(takes years or months depending), then cooperation which is normally controlled by foreign money, buys the farm ranch.
.Gov doesn’t want independent family owned farmer/ranchers, to much power lies there. Old Jake just might say I’m paying my taxes and feeding my family and fck the rest.
Why is Saudi Arabia growing alfalfa in Arizona to feed dairy cows in Saudia Arabia when American cattle thirst. Why is Smithyfield and a host of other US plants owned by China?
We can add ammunition and firearms companies to the foreign owned as well.
New World Order and our government no matter what party is in office is in on it.
“Why is Smithyfield and a host of other US plants owned by China?”
Do you remember when Republicans and libertarians all said foreign investment in America was a good thing?
As I recall Pat Buchanan who ran for the presidency he said that was a very bad idea.
Did you support Pat Buchanan like I did?
As far as the american firearms business being owned by foreign countries. i haven’t heard too many objections against that from the “experts” in the “gun community.”
I believe Hi Point is still an american owned gun maker.
When the fed gov headcount decrease by even FIVE % there may be something to celebrate. Should be cut by TWENTY FIVE %.
I would like less of my money to be used to support my own downfall. The discovery of USAID fraud is proof that this was (and still is) happening.
A Colorado School Helped a Teacher Groom a Student and Separate Her From Her Parents.
h ttps://townhall.com/tipsheet/madelineleesman/2025/02/24/colorado-school-helped-separate-mom-from-daughter-so-daughter-could-have-relationship-with-teacher-n2652675
It is my dream to see the control of the education system to be given to the states. And for the states to give control to cities and counties.
The fact is, we were taken over by “woke” from within. Starting in the 1960s, increasing in the 70s, and ever since. Give me control over the education system of any nation and I can take over that country within a generation.
We probably should be attending more PTA meetings than we do football or basketball games.
Your tax dollars at work for national security: Reporters Found What Intel Officers Spoke About on Government Time. You’ll Need Bleach for Your Eyes.
h ttps://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2025/02/24/total-depravity-wait-thats-what-intelligence-officers-were-talking-about-on-government-time-n2652716
Maryland Court Rejects Everytown-Backed Lawfare Attack on 3 Maryland Gun Stores.
h ttps://www.shootingnewsweekly.com/nra/maryland-court-rejects-everytown-backed-lawfare-attack-on-3-maryland-gun-stores/
Trump needs to terminate Bidens EO 14092. That’s the order that gave the Biden ATF and DOJ the unconstitutional and illegal power, and free reign, to usurp congress by ‘self interpetation’ to create defacto law and let them indiscriminately use deadly force to kill and/or terrorize, and pressure and coerce and intimidate, law abiding America citizen gun owners and FFL’s .
The fact that only half of the folks supposedly on our side are says it all . Still a uniparty in charge.
Seriously. What is worse is that the public will continue to put almost all of them back in office. Sometimes, it’s hard to disagree with the Left when they say the average American isn’t that bright…
Kinda sad when the GOP goes to an executive agency, which is under the ostensible control of a Republican administration, and beg like Tiny Tim.
Eunuchs or traitors. The lot of them.
I think the ATF should be dismantled. Yes, the congress should do it, and they should do it without any “petitions” of any kind.
Signing and sending a petition for anything but complete elimination means that you’re supporting keeping that organization around. For what purpose?
I’m writing my letter now.
Senator Cornyn feeling the heat as Texans lambasted him for giving the anti-gunners an inch, and they took 25 miles. We warned him against working with them but he didn’t listen.
Why is TTAG pushing that worthless sunshine patriot John Cornyn? He is every bit as bad as Lindsey Graham, both of them would gladly stab gun owners in the back if it got their name on some federal building. Can we not primary these back stabbers?