Trump administration targets ATF, with plans to cut jobs and ease gun restrictions

Source: NPR

July 2, 2025 5:00 AM ET


The Trump administration has set its sights on restructuring the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, including plans to loosen gun regulations and significantly reduce its budget.

Two weeks ago, the administration sent staff from the Department of Government Efficiency, the administration's government-slashing initiative, into the agency with a goal of cutting regulations quickly, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to NPR on the condition of anonymity to avoid retaliation.

As the federal agency responsible for regulating the gun industry, the ATF investigates illegal gun trafficking, inspects gun dealers to ensure they're following the law, and issues citations and revokes licenses if they're not.

DOGE has been working with officials at the ATF on changes to around 50 regulations, including making a background check for a firearm purchase valid for 60 days instead of 30, and allowing gun dealers to destroy records after 20 years, rather than keep them indefinitely, according to the people NPR spoke with. Many of the changes might not seem consequential in isolation, but taken together, those people said, a larger picture emerges of a new regime aiming to deregulate the firearms industry.

Read more: https://www.npr.org/2025/07/02/nx-s1-5440343/trump-administration-atf-jobs-gun-restrictions