U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, along with 29 other senators, has urged the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to repeal rules they consider unlawful from the Biden administration. The letter, led by Senator John Cornyn of Texas, requests that the ATF align its policies with former President Trump’s Second Amendment agenda.
The senators call on the ATF to work with Attorney General Pam Bondi to rescind regulations they believe infringe on Americans’ Second Amendment rights. “We urge you to immediately align ATF’s rules and policies with the President’s strong support for the Second Amendment,” the letter states.
They argue that policies adopted under former President Joe Biden have infringed upon these protections and request action in line with Trump’s recent Executive Order. The order directs Attorney General Bondi to develop a plan regarding what they deem as unlawful firearms regulations from Biden’s tenure.
Additionally, the senators ask for the destruction of old firearm transaction records that are more than 20 years old. They claim these records hold no law enforcement value but contain sensitive information about gun owners. “Ending the policy of retaining these very old records will save money for the American taxpayer and counteract ATF’s unconstitutional rule change,” according to their statement.
The letter also suggests improvements to make the National Firearms Act application process more efficient, similar to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
Cosigners of this request include Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senators Thom Tillis, John Barrasso, Shelley Moore Capito, Jim Justice, James Risch, Cynthia Lummis, Steve Daines, Ted Cruz, Kevin Cramer, Mike Crapo, James Lankford, John Hoeven, Roger Marshall M.D., Rick Scott, Lindsey Graham, Ted Budd, Bill Hagerty, Tim Sheehy, Pete Ricketts, Bill Cassidy M.D., Joni Ernst, Marsha Blackburn Todd Young Markwayne Mullin Deb Fischer Jim Banks Jerry Moran
More details can be found in the full letter addressed to ATF officials.
