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FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans are pushing to abolish the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) before President-elect Donald Trump takes office later this month.
Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., is present the bill on Tuesday and already has several co-sponsors in Reps. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., Mike Collins, R-Ga., Bob Onder, R-Mo., Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., Mary Miller, R-Ill. ., Keith Self, R-Texas, and Paul Gosar, R-Ariz.
Burlison argued that the ATF was an “unconstitutional agency” and that its mission and goals are duplicative of existing state and local regulations.
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Rep. Eric Burlison is leading a bill to abolish the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. (Getty Images)
“The Constitution makes it very clear that when it comes to the federal government, there will be no laws restricting firearms,” he told Fox News Digital. “It’s up to the states, so I don’t think it belongs in the federal realm.”
“But here’s what I want to reiterate: They don’t have the manpower to enforce the laws that they implement. So they go and ask for help from all the local state law enforcement officials to help them implement the their stupid new rules.”
He said helping the ATF “takes them away from the things they should be prioritizing to keep the community safe.”
Burlison said he has not spoken to members of President-elect Trump’s orbit about the bill, but added, “I’m sure there are quite a few people in Trump’s world who would be open to it.”
One potential supporter the bill could find is Vice President-elect JD Vance, who previously called for the abolition of the ATF and vowed to fight to achieve that goal in the Senate.
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Vice President-elect JD Vance previously called for the abolition of the ATF when he was running for the Senate. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
The ATF makes federal regulations for the handling and storage of firearms, gun licenses and other matters. It also helps in police investigations like the recent one New Orleans attack.
The modern iteration of the ATF was formed as a Treasury Department office in 1972. It was transferred to the Justice Department in 2003 as a law enforcement agency after the surveillance laws weapons and explosives were added to the ATF’s purview in the 1990s.
Supporters of the ATF’s existence include gun control advocates who argue that it does important work to combat gun violence.
However, opponents like Burlison argue that its regulations are unnecessary.
ATF Director Steven Dettelbach warned earlier this week that he believes slowing ATF will lead to more unnecessary deaths.
“People who don’t think law enforcement, including the ATF, has anything to do with reducing violent crime are wrong; it didn’t happen by accident,” he told the New York Times.
“What I worry about is people taking their eye off the ball, being complacent or political, or a combination of those things.”
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However, the ATF has received public backlash for its handling of the infamous standoffs at Ruby Ridge and Waco, Texas.
Trump previously promised to fire Dettelbach on his first day in office. He told an audience at a National Rifle Association event that the Biden administration appointee was a “radical gun grabber.”
It’s unclear whether he would abolish it altogether, however.
Fox News Digital reached out to Trump and the ATF for comment.
