DOGE to change gun control rules: 'Dream come true for gun traffickers'

Elon Musk may be gone from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), but that's not stopping the non-cabinet agency from “dangerously” changing the rules at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), according to an exclusive Washington Post report.

“The Administration seems hell-bent on ushering in a golden age for gun criminals, gutting the only agency specifically tasked with keeping communities safe from gun violence,” John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, said in a statement to The Washington Post.

He went on to say, “These cuts would be a dream come true for gun traffickers, straw purchasers, and unscrupulous gun dealers — and a nightmare for law enforcement and public safety.”

There are now more than 50 rules which DOGE plans to change within ATF. The Post sources say Robert Leider, who works within DOGE, is overseeing the changes at ATF.

Adam Skaggs, chief counsel and vice president of Giffords Law Center, said, “The administration claims to support law enforcement and care about fighting crime, but they are proposing the most radical defunding of the police we have ever seen from the federal government.”

A spokesperson for the Justice Department, which oversees ATF, defended the changes, “As Attorney General Bondi has made clear, ATF is working hard to reduce regulatory red tape that burdens lawful gun owners and to ensure agents are doing real police work hunting down criminals and gang members — not knocking on the doors of lawful gun owners in the middle of the night.”

According to the Post, Trump has not nominated a director to the ATF. Currently, FBI director Kash Patel is temporarily leading the agency.

Aside from the rules change, the Justice Department has planned to cut the number of inspectors ATF is hiring. Roughly 541 of ATF’s more than 800 inspectors would lose their jobs, according to the report.