They are the strongest opponents of defunding the police, but now, conservatives are carving out an exception — the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Long considered anti-gun, the agency has provoked alarm with Second Amendment advocates due to the agency’s recent targeting of gunmakers, including a raid this month on a producer of so-called "ghost guns" and this week’s targeting of AR-15-style pistols.
With President-elect Joe Biden poised to unleash new gun control measures, fears are heightened that ATF will be the tip of the spear.
To fight that, some conservatives are now calling for the defunding of the ATF. Outspoken gun advocate Rep.-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene has put the agency in her crosshairs.
“The ATF is trying to shut down American companies and put good people out of work. Not only is this an attack on small businesses, but the Constitution itself,” she told us, adding, “I’m headed to D.C. to cut government, not expand it, and the ATF is at the top of my list.”
Gun Owners of America Senior Vice President Erich Pratt said that the agency’s move this week to consider outlawing some AR pistols after endorsing them for years demands scrutiny.
“This ATF is simply out of control,” Pratt said. “This agency — which shouldn’t exist in the first place — is not held accountable for its actions, and honest gun owners who are being turned into criminals are paying the price.”
The National Rifle Association is also raising concerns that the agency is eager to team up with the Biden-Harris team to squeeze gun owners more.