ATF Gets New Director as Agency Unveils Sweeping Rollbacks on Firearms Rules
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) now has a permanent director, with the agency quickly moving to propose rollbacks of nearly three dozen firearms regulations.
The Senate confirmed career ATF agent Robert Cekada to lead the law enforcement agency by a vote of 59-39. Director Cekada was serving as deputy director for about one year. He joined ATF in 2005 as a special agent after starting as a police officer in New York City.
“He knows how to lead the bureau because he’s tirelessly worked throughout the chain of command,” said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) during the confirmation hearing.
The installation of Director Cekada is a turnaround on the Trump administration’s posture toward ATF. Last year, some administration officials discussed folding ATF functions into the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The administration also requested that ATF receive a four percent funding increase in fiscal year (FY) 2027. During his confirmation hearing, Director Cekada noted the administration has directed the agency to increase agent headcount to 3,000 from the 2,400 agents on the job today.
However, Republicans in the House are rejecting the administration’s proposal and instead want a $285 million cut in ATF’s budget.
Rollback of Firearms Regulations Proposed
Shortly after his confirmation, Director Cekada appeared alongside Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to announce 34 notices of final and proposed rulemaking on firearms.
The changes include repealing a Biden-era rule expanding background check requirements for some high-volume gun sellers at gun shows and online marketplaces, formally removing bump stocks from the federal “machine gun” definition following the Supreme Court’s Garland v. Cargill decision, and rescinding tougher regulations on firearms with stabilizing braces.
“In my time with ATF, I’ve seen how regulation creep can come in like a fog, creating vague and shifting tests and subjective interpretations that lead to inconsistent enforcement practices,” said Director Cekada.
Gun control advocates say the changes will increase risks to public safety.
“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,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety.
