Justice Department moves to roll back gun regulations as Senate confirms new ATF chief

WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Department officials moved Wednesday to roll back and modify a slate of gun regulations in a dramatic shift in firearm policy pushed by Second Amendment supporters in President Donald Trump’s base.

Gun control activists slammed the moves as dangerous and irresponsible just days after authorities say a man armed with guns and knives tried to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner and kill the Republican president.

Among the more that 30 changes announced Wednesday is the proposed repeal of a 2024 Biden administration rule that sought to force thousands more firearms dealers across U.S. to run background checks on buyers at gun shows or other places outside brick-and-mortar stores.

That rule aimed to close what is sometimes called the “gun show loophole,” which allowed guns to be sold by unlicensed dealers who do not perform background checks to ensure the potential buyer is not legally prohibited from having a firearm. Gun rights groups and Republican-led states had challenged the rule in court, arguing it violated the Second Amendment and that Biden didn’t have the authority to implement it.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche called the slate of revisions the “most comprehensive regulatory reform package in the history” of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Blanche said the changes bring gun regulations in line with Supreme Court precedent while cutting down on unnecessary burdens on firearms sellers and lawful gun owners.

“For too long, regulations were written without any real understanding of how firearms businesses operate, how lawful gun owners handle their firearms, or what truly improves public safety,” Blanche said.

Gun control groups accused the administration of catering to gun rights activists with loosened regulations they said would make the country less safe.

“Four days after the nation watched gunfire break out at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, the Trump administration’s answer is to gut commonsense gun safety laws and sabotage the only federal agency dedicated to keeping guns out of criminal hands,” John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, said in a statement.

The changes were signed shortly after Robert Cekada, a longtime law enforcement officer, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to lead the ATF, the federal agency responsible for enforcing the country’s gun laws. Cekada, who joined the ATF in 2005, has been been running the day-to-day operations of the agency for the last year as its deputy director.

Cekada is only the third person to be confirmed to lead the agency since the director’s position was made confirmable in 2006. The agency has mostly been led by acting directors, with both Republican and Democratic administrations failing to get nominees for the ATF position through the politically fraught process.

The ATF has long been the target of conservatives for its role in role in gun regulation, but Trump’s Justice Department has touted the agency’s role in taking illegal guns off the street and stopping violent crime.

“Rob is exactly the right person to lead the ATF at this moment,” Blanche said.