By Steve Neavling
The Trump administration is expected to roll back several major gun control policies put in place under President Biden, including a crackdown on firearms dealers who falsify records and bypass background checks, according to two people familiar with the plan, The New York Times reports.
Attorney General Pam Bondi, under pressure from gun rights groups, is expected to announce this week that she’ll eliminate the “zero tolerance” policy that led to license revocations for gun dealers with repeated federal violations.
Bondi also plans to order FBI Director Kash Patel, who is also temporarily leading the ATF, to review two other Biden-era rules: one banning pistol braces that convert handguns into rifles, and another requiring background checks on private gun sales.
The expected rollbacks come amid growing dysfunction at the ATF, which has operated without permanent leadership and has seen parts of its workforce reassigned to assist with immigration raids. The Justice Department is considering folding the agency into the DEA, further straining morale.
Trump campaigned on scaling back federal gun regulations. In February, he signed an executive order directing the Justice Department to review any policies that could infringe on Second Amendment rights. The following month, Bondi repurposed a civil rights unit to investigate alleged gun rights violations by Los Angeles County officials.
While the changes mark a sharp reversal from Biden’s gun control push, their immediate impact is unclear. Enforcement of the zero-tolerance policy had already slowed, and federal courts have blocked parts of the pistol brace and background check rules.
Gun control advocates warned the moves could worsen gun violence.
“Less than three months in, this administration is already rolling back popular policies that keep communities safe,” said John Feinblatt of Everytown for Gun Safety. Giffords’ Emma Brown accused Trump of siding with “reckless dealers.”
Gun industry leaders praised the shift.
“The Biden administration suffocated the firearms industry,” said Lawrence Keane of the National Shooting Sports Foundation. He called the zero-tolerance policy “reckless,” saying it threatened small businesses with severe penalties for minor errors.
