Elon Musk may be out of the picture, but the Department of Government Efficiency is still around and being deployed to terrorize the public servants at agencies across the federal government. The latest target: the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, where DOGE will be tasked with slashing gun restrictions, according to the Washington Post.
DOGE staff (those who are left, at least, seeing as high-profile figures like Big Balls have tapped out of the operation) are reportedly being sent into the ATF with the goal of cutting or revising 47 gun regulations. That goal is apparently a reference to Trump being the 47th President of the United States, though the Washington Post reported that they are likely to blow past that figure and change more than 50 existing rules. No respect for regulations or symbolism. They have also been given a deadline of accomplishing this by July 4, because nothing would be a better gift to America for her birthday than easier access to firearms.
Just from a process standpoint, it’s always good to start with an arbitrary number and go looking to make cuts solely to meet that quota rather than because something actually needs changing. That’s just smart governance, extremely efficient stuff.
As to what those regulations are that will be changed, it’s hard to say. The Post noted that the agency enforces hundreds of rules that help to dictate the way that firearms are bought, sold, and used in the country. The report floated the possibility that DOGE may change the rules on what types of guns can be imported and make licensing fees refundable.
The pseudo-agency will also reportedly make changes to the mandated 4473 Form that gun buyers are required to fill out when purchasing a firearm, and sellers are required to keep in their records to help trace guns. The plan is to cut the form from seven pages down to three. How will they do that? By asking fewer questions of the gun buyer. Per the Post, questions that are currently seperate that ask things like whether a person has been committed to a mental institution, has been dishonorably discharged from the military, or has used illegal drugs will all just get smushed together into a single “yes” or “no” question as to whether a person is legally allowed to own a firearm.
While DOGE is unleashed on the ATF’s rule book, the Trump administration has been hacking away at the agency’s size and purpose. The Department of Justice recently announced plans to cut the number of inspectors on its staff by two-thirds, significantly reducing the agency’s ability to investigate businesses that sell guns to criminals. That doesn’t go as far as other Republicans, who have introduced legislation to abolish the agency entirely.
The Constitution still says “well-regulated” in the Second Amendment, right? Or can DOGE cut that line?
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