U.S. Representative Barry Moore from Alabama has joined Representative Eric Burlison of Missouri in co-sponsoring a bill that seeks to dismantle and shut down the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). In the past, I have been skeptical of this idea as eliminating the agency does not necessarily put an end to some of the amoral legislation it enforces, and moving these duties over to the FBI would be like complaining that your 3rd-grade teacher is unfair and replacing them with the Gestapo. However, Burlison and Moore have a different solution in mind, suggesting that the ATF’s authority revert to individual states.
While most supporters of the Second Amendment could care less about who has the authority to infringe on their rights and are more concerned with them not being violated in the first place, myself included, this opens up some options. As Americans, we have the right to choose which state we live in and which local economies we support. If we can’t vote candidates into office who will respect and defend the Constitution, we can always seek a better life in a state that does. That’s what I did. Let the criminals have their soft target states, and let those places become even less desirable. See how it works out for them. Yeah, I can get on board with this plan.
“I am proud to stand with my friend Eric Burlison as a co-sponsor of HR374, the ‘Abolish the ATF Act.’ The ATF has repeatedly violated Americans’ Second Amendment rights, and it’s time to put an end to this unconstitutional overreach,” said Moore in a post on his X account.
The ATF was established in 1972 to regulate and enforce federal laws concerning the manufacture, sale and possession of firearms, ammunition, explosives, alcohol and tobacco. However, many see them as having gone rogue, legislating via the implementation of “rules,” either on their own or being weaponized at the direction of a sitting administration, a practice that has seen the agency admonished for exceeding its statutory authority by the United States Supreme Court.
“The ATF is a disaster,” Burlison told Fox News Digital while expressing that the “disaster agency” has “been violating the…Second Amendment.”
“I think at the end of the day, this agency needs to be abolished, and we need to let the states police what happens to the states,” he added.
To nobody’s surprise, an ATF spokesperson responded to Burlison’s comments with a glowing review of the agency’s work.
“ATF provides enormous benefits to the American public through all of its efforts fighting violent crime every day,” said the ATF spokesperson to Fox News Digital.
This, however, is like praising the agency for stopping the purse-snatching of an elderly woman while ignoring that they blew up a senior living facility right afterward. I’m not averse to pointing out when the ATF does work in the best interest of Americans, and I do from time to time when they help FFLs secure their facilities from robberies and when they apprehend dangerous criminals, but that isn’t enough to absolve them from their unconstitutional sins. With the incoming Trump administration, a growing list of federal agencies may be on the chopping block, or at least up for some serious Department of Government Efficiency restructuring from the likes of Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. It will be a great time to be alive if we actually get to see this happen, as running roughshod over Americans’ freedom with unmannerly impunity has overstayed its welcome, and it’s high time we see a peaceful and orderly refreshing of the tree of liberty.
Theoretically, if the ATF was abolished in favor of states rights, would all of its regulation become void?
Bill of rights should never be state rights issues.
Hang on just one second, there, Babalouie! The ATF currently infringes on the 2A. So do most of the states. If the ATF is abolished, it would seem to open the door for the states to say: “Well, since the ATF no longer exists, we should be able to regulate that which the ATF used to regulate”.
Admittedly, my original question. was poorly constructed.
Double check the 10th and 14th and apply incorporation post reconstruction.
Agree….but still the Constitution vs. how the states actually behave. States already openly defying Bruen.
Would love to see the ATF ended. Yhat legislation will have to make it abundently clear that NO authority is being ceeded to thw states.
Will require more than the courts to enforce the Constitution.
Naturally but realistically we are only just starting to get into the fight and most of those heavily invested in gun control are on the verge of aging out of relevance with replacements that are…….sub par. There are a lot of demands to see things happen immediately but the speed with which things have been going post Bruen is amazing when compared to Heller/McDonald let alone the along for getting concealed carry being shall issue (or need not apply). Ultimately it is not up to the states and they will be reminded that (hopefully by us).
Missed it re consequences of ignoring rulings. Who was in charge of the executive let alone where money/programs are directed. There were no consequences because nobody in power wanted there to be. Same as illegal immigration/human trafficking or voter fraud. We will see if that changes next year.
“States Rights” is not a term to bring to the table. It brings many negative connotations.
The 1968 Gun Control Act continues to be a key player in what legitimizes Gun Control in the eyes of Gun Control zealots. And as long as an agenda Rooted in Racism and Genocide enjoys standing in courts and on the floor of the US Congress it is going to be business as usual. I see Gun owners pointing fingers at RINOs while the same finger pointers are zip lipped when it comes to demanding their Congressmen Define Gun Control by its Historial Analogies in the same manner the courts and congress Define the Second Amendment by its Historical Anologies.
Do you have a single coherent point or actionable solution anywhere in that rant or are you just nagging again?
She’s not wrong.
I plan to write to the new POTUS, my congressman, and my senators once everybody has an email address that works.
Currently, POTUS Elect doesn’t seem to have a reliable email address, and I don’t do Truth or X.
And one of my Senators, Marco Rubio, has removed the ability to write an email to him via his senate website.
My other senator, Rick Scott, needs regular reminders to stop thinking that red flag laws are the answer to his next election campaign in six years.
My congressman is an anti-2A dem, so writing just to him won’t be as effective.
And I can’t write an email to the Speaker of the House because his website actually checks your zip code to make sure you’re a constituent with residency in his district. Apparently, it means nothing to be Speaker of the House. Besides that, he just might be a short-timer Speaker anyhow.
So I am waiting until Jan 21st.
The writing can be effective if the message is both true and the outrage rings with enough of the population to be relevant. Good example is how we have some backpedaling from mass H1b immigration for tech jobs with enough outrage from left and right. Her proposal is a small piece of a larger issue that ultimately does not bother anyone pushing gun control or willing to vote for those that do paired with a historically nasty reaction to constructive criticism to the point where most skip to derision by default to save time and effort and get actual conversations started elsewhere.
1. Repeal NFA
2. Repeal GCA
3. Fire (with prejudice) all ATF “employees”
Would prefer struck down as unconstitutional to limit future attempts of infringement becoming as pervasive the next time we are asleep at the wheel but repeal would be nice.
“Abolitish”? Spell check broken much?
No, it’s a word. “Abolish the Amish.”
Okay, maybe not. 😉
The bureau of ATF needs to become the ATC (Alcohol, tobacco and cannabis). Alcohol and tobacco have little to do with firearms and explosives. The ATC makes much more sense. The first order of business would be to remove cannabis from DEA Schedule 1. To continue to pretend that cannabis has no medical use is ridiculous …
Tom,
Louisiana already has a state agency called ATC(alcohol, tobacco control). Maybe adding a “C” would be a solution Alcohol Tobacco and Cannabis Control. The ATF needs to either go away entirely or be held accountable for their conduct.
To reduce confusion states should use the same name to identify the agency.
Fight, Fight, Fight!
“ATF provides enormous benefits to the American public through all of its efforts fighting violent crime every day,”
ya mean like Bryan Malinowski who y’all ‘murdered’? The man you called a criminal ’cause you said so and had absolutely serious proof of anything, ’cause you says ‘in the business’ applied ? A man who never harmed anyone, had never comitted a crime, and was actually acting lawfully in his life and was a model citizen? yeah that guy.
and still not forgetting about the hundreds in the last couple of years the ATF has terrorized with threat and gun point. people who comited no crime, law abiding American citizens…you terrorized and threatened them and their family, including children, with threat and gun point ’cause you say so.
yeah, a rogue agency deciding who they can kill and threaten and terrorize and making up crimes that don’t exist is of zero benefit.
F-Troop were the Clinton’s attack dogs back in the 90s. F-Troop seem to be most active during Democrat presidencies.
ATC sounds like a good idea. Returning it to treasury for tax purposes would also be the appropriate thing to do.
There should be some fed involvement in firearms and explosives strictly for control over exports to other countries.
No one is going to abolish the ATF. Governments exist solely to increase their size and reach, not reduce their size and reach. Any such legislation is dead-on-arrival.
With any luck legislation will have nothing to do with it.
You’re hoping for an tragic electrical fault?
I know I am. Preferably coinciding with a terrible bike-locks-on-doors accident.
Oh you are on our Phizer blogs.
““ATF provides enormous benefits to the American public through all of its efforts fighting violent crime every day,” said the ATF spokesperson to Fox News Digital.”
If you need your puppy or kitten killed, or hate your neighbor, the BATFE (and Really Big Fires) can pick up that contract and complete the task.
A much easier solution is to make all federal agencies fall under posse comitatus. Where they can only be used with approval of the state governor and a local executive.
Instant loss of access. Sure they are still there for big thug groups but must be approved for a limited time by the much more easily controlled local officials.
Red meat for the base.
Red meat is good for you. And some people need it because they can’t digest anything else.
Fun fact: All the studies showing that it increases cancer rates were done using “well done” meat.
No one’s ever looked at properly cooked beef.
ATF Does it again…another ‘no crime’ armed force raid … this time to quiet a 2A advocate….2A Advocate Raided By The ATF.
h ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J–vFOybVPM
Video not available says YouTube