More awful news out of the Trump administration: The Department of Justice and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced the repeal of the ‘zero tolerance’ Enhanced Regulatory Enforcement Policy and the review of rules related to certain gun parts and the definition of ‘engaging in the business’ of firearms dealing.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the removal of the Biden administration zero-tolerance policy, which empowered ATF to crack down on rogue gun dealers who violate federal laws. Under this policy, the ATF made historic progress in cracking down on negligent gun dealers and stemming the flow of illegal firearms into communities.
Other rules targeted for review regulate ‘pistol braces,’ which turn a handgun into a quasi-rifle; and the ‘Engaged in the Business’ rule, which clarifies who must obtain a federal firearms license and therefore conduct background checks to sell guns.
Since implementing the zero-tolerance policy in 2021, the Biden administration achieved unprecedented success in holding problematic dealers accountable, with increased numbers of license revocations in 2023 and 2024. The policy specifically targeted the small percentage of dealers with egregious violations, who were often responsible for moving huge numbers of illegal firearms.
“This is the latest move by the Trump administration’s campaign to cripple the ATF’s enforcement capabilities,” said Brady President Kris Brown. “From appointing Kash Patel—who refused to defend background checks—as acting director of the agency, to empowering Attorney General Pam Bondi to oversee mass gun rights restorations, including for domestic abusers, this administration is systematically dismantling the safeguards designed to keep weapons out of dangerous hands. These aren’t just policy changes—they’re deliberate choices that prioritize gun industry profits over American lives.”
In other (bad) news, Trump’s and Elon Musk’s DOGE also has made mass layoffs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including the entire team responsible for the Web-Based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) that collects, analyzes, and reports critical gun violence data. The cuts are an enormous setback to our ability to track, understand, and respond to the gun violence epidemic.
Finally (for now), Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a memo to Justice Department employees this week announcing a ‘Second Amendment Task Force.’ According to copies of the document seen by NBC News, Bondi said she would chair the task force, which “is principally charged with developing and executing strategies to use litigation and policy to advance, protect, and promote compliance with the Second Amendment.”
