Goodbye ATF? GOP Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Abolish the Bureau
Jeff Charles
Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and Eric Burlison (R-MO) recently introduced a bill
to abolish the Bureau for Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). They
argue that the agency has been used to violate the Second Amendment.
The lawmakers stated that the objective of the measure is to "safeguard
Americans' Second Amendment rights and protect law-abiding gun owners from the
relentless bureaucratic overreach of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and
Firearms".
Rep. Burlison argued that the agency "is emblematic of the deep-state
bureaucracy that believes it can infringe on constitutional liberties without
consequence" and "If this agency cannot uphold its duty to serve the people
within the framework of the Constitution, it has no place in our government."
Boebert said she "cannot imagine under any circumstance or administration where
the ATF serves as an ally to the Second Amendment and law-abiding firearm owners
across America."
?? NEW: Congresswoman Lauren Boebert has filed legislation to abolish the ATF.
Do you support this?
Boebert railed against the ATF in the last Congress, saying the agency goes
way too far in "rulemaking" authorities.
"We don't trust the ATF because of their overreaching.
pic.twitter.com/SQcjxOlolh
- Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 6, 2025
The press release also mentions the ATF's history of abuse against American
citizens, referring to the massacre at Waco, its actions at Ruby Ridge, and
Operation Fast and Furious.
Burlison has also introduced a measure to repeal the 1934 National Firearms Act
that "unjustly taxes, registers, and restricts American gun owners."
Under President Joe Biden, the ATF has ramped up its efforts to restrict gun
ownership. The agency issued a rule mandating that gun manufacturers who make
"ghost gun" kits must comply with federal gun laws. This means they must conduct
background checks, obtain a federal license, and add serial numbers to the kits.
The ATF also issued a rule that redefined firearms with stabilizing braces as
rifles or short-barreled rifles. This means those who own these devices are
subject to stricter regulations under the National Firearms Act unless they are
registered. Aspects of the rule were later successfully challenged in court.
Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX), who served as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic
Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs at the time, gave a scathing
criticism of the ATF's pistol brace rule. He argued that "This rule will
effectively turn many lawful gun owners into criminals if they fail to comply,
even though Congress did not act to pass any new criminal laws or penalties
related to stabilizing braces."
Michael Cargill, owner of Austin-based Central Texas Gun Works, supports the
idea of abolishing the ATF but has reservations about this particular bill,
which is less than one page long and simply reads: "The Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is hereby abolished.
"In order to go forward with this bill, you're going to have to have a plan of
action of what's going to happen," Cargill told Townhall.
Cargill successfully sued the federal government over the bump stock ban, a case
that the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately decided in a ruling that overturned the
ban. He suggested that simply doing away with the ATF without a plan to address
how the Justice Department could still be used to violate Second Amendment
rights would accomplish little.
ATF originally fell under the IRS. Now, the ATF falls under the Department of
Justice. The way all the bills that are written that pertains to firearms are
written to the DOJ, passed down to the to the ATF, and if you get rid of the
ATF, you've got to have a plan of how you're expecting everything to be laid
out. You just can't get rid of the ATF and not have a plan of action.
Cargill further argued that if there is no "plan of action.then when that next
president that comes in that has a 'D' behind their name, a Democrat, we're all
going to be f*cked."
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/jeff-charles/2025/01/09/gop-lawmakers-introduce-bill-to-lay-waste-to-the-atf-n2650171 
GOP Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Abolish the Bureau