The Trump administration today took its first moves to rein in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, pulling back Biden-era decisions it felt undermined the Second Amendment.
Several gun groups, including the National Rifle Association, said the Department of Justice and ATF told them that rules targeting gun stores and a requirement that buyers of certain AR-style pistols pay a $200 tax and register their firearms would be set aside.
Groups including the NRA, Gun Owners of America, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, and the Firearms Policy Coalition applauded the administration’s move to repeal the so-called Zero Tolerance Policy that aggressively targeted gun dealers for minor paperwork errors in gun sales.
The groups said several sellers and stores got tangled in the policy, losing their licenses when they were simply guilty of paperwork errors instead of the illegal sales the policy was created to snare.
The groups said the administration was also reconsidering the tax and registration requirement of AR-style pistols equipped with stabilizing braces, an accessory that was legal for years until Biden’s ATF flipped on the issue as part of the former president’s bid to ban the firearms.
NRA Statement on Repeal of ATF Zero Tolerance Policy
— NRA (@NRA) April 7, 2025
FPC President Brandon Combs said, “On behalf of our members, we commend and thank President Trump, Attorney General [Pam] Bondi, and ATF Director [Kash] Patel for taking these important actions to protect constitutional rights.”
Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel, said, “This is great news for the industry that provides for the lawful exercise of the Second Amendment.”
Today, the ATF provided FPC with an important update regarding firearm regulations, stating that the DOJ and ATF would repeal and revisit several regulations and enforcement practices implemented by the anti-Second Amendment Biden Administration. https://t.co/KnB0P9Zxa1
— Firearms Policy Coalition (@gunpolicy) April 7, 2025
The NRA’s top lobbyist, John Commerford, said, “This reversal is another example of the Trump administration’s commitment to protecting and strengthening the Second Amendment rights of peaceable Americans.”
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And Erich Pratt, senior vice president of Gun Owners of America, said, “For years, the Zero Tolerance Policy has been a tool of political retribution — targeting gun stores and Americans who were simply trying to exercise their rights. We applaud President Trump, Attorney General Bondi, and Director Kash Patel for listening to gun owners and taking action to repeal this abusive policy. This is what pro-gun leadership looks like.”
The policy pullbacks were the first gun moves of the Trump administration. Some in Congress hope the administration goes further to allow the tax-free sale of suppressors and national concealed carry reciprocity. Some are even calling for the dismantling of the ATF.