There’s a new sheriff in town at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and it’s a familiar face.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate confirmed Robert Cekada to lead the embattled agency in its responsibility to enforce the nation’s gun laws. He has been with the ATF since 2005, and for the last year he has run day-to-day operations as deputy director.
Major changes are already underway at the ATF
Cekada made it clear from the start that he is not operating in a business-as-usual mode, which recently was to target law-abiding gun owners and licensed firearm dealers over minor and inadvertent infractions.
“ATF’s mission is to protect public safety and enforce the law—and these reforms reflect our commitment to doing that through regulations that are clear, legally sound, and narrowly tailored to that purpose,” Cekada said on Wednesday.
He added that his agency will go after “willful violators and criminal actors,” which will be a welcome change from previous ATF actions.
Several of the previous administration’s 2A infringements are being addressed
The new director’s first day on the job was certainly memorable, as he announced in conjunction with the Department of Justice (DOJ) 34 notices of final and proposed rulemaking.
These are to bring the agency into compliance with Executive Order 14206, which the White House issued last year to mandate the protection of Second Amendment rights.
Along with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Cekada told the Washington gathering that the rollback of contentious gun control regulations was long overdue.
Among the changes announced was the revisiting of the controversial “engaged in the business” rule. This atrocity required that individuals who sold as few as one firearm be federally licensed, and though the federal definition will remain, certain provisions are being erased.
The ATF also declared changes on the bump stock ban, the pistol brace rule, the “gun show loophole,” and a host of other Second Amendment-related issues.
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