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Maddowblog-Trump administration's gun policy agenda takes another step in a dangerous direction
During his first term, the president briefly considered ambitious gun policy reforms. In his second term, he’s moving quickly in a regressive direction.
Team Trump’s latest moves on gun policy are great if you want as many guns in as many hands as possible, with the fewest safeguards in place for public safety. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-06-19T15:27:54.540Z
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-administrations-gun-policy-agenda-takes-another-step-dangerous-d-rcna213940
The Justice Department currently has roughly 800 investigators who are responsible for ensuring that licensed gun dealers are following safeguards and preventing criminals and those with severe mental illnesses from purchasing firearms. The New York Times reported, however, that this status quo is about to undergo a dramatic change.
According to the report, which has not been independently verified by MSNBC or NBC News, of the 800 investigators currently on the job — by most measures, a total that is already too small given the scope of the national task — Donald Trump’s DOJ will get rid of 541 of them.
John Feinblatt, the president of Everytown for Gun Safety, told the Times, “These are devastating cuts to law enforcement funding and would undermine A.T.F.’s ability to keep communities safe from gun violence. This budget would be a win for unscrupulous gun dealers and a terrible setback for A.T.F.’s state and local law enforcement partners.”.....
When Republicans derailed those negotiations and nothing passed, there was another mass shooting a year later, at which point Trump again wanted a gun bill, including restrictions on assault rifles — which, according to multiple accounts, was one of his long-sought goals.
In other words, as recently as his first term, the president at least briefly sought ambitious gun reforms, up to and including extrajudicial gun confiscations.
A couple of months ago, after a deadly on-campus shooting at Florida State University, Trump said, “I have an obligation to protect the Second Amendment.” But in the recent past, he had those same responsibilities, and it didn’t stop him from endorsing measures that might’ve saved lives.
Now, the Republican and his administration not only don’t want to bother, they’re also moving aggressively in the opposite direction.
The Justice Department plans to slash the number of inspectors who monitor federally licensed gun dealers by two-thirds, sharply limiting the government’s already crimped capacity to identify businesses that sell guns to criminals, according to budget documents. The move, part of the Trump administration’s effort to defang and downsize the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, comes as the department considers merging the A.T.F. and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
According to the report, which has not been independently verified by MSNBC or NBC News, of the 800 investigators currently on the job — by most measures, a total that is already too small given the scope of the national task — Donald Trump’s DOJ will get rid of 541 of them.
John Feinblatt, the president of Everytown for Gun Safety, told the Times, “These are devastating cuts to law enforcement funding and would undermine A.T.F.’s ability to keep communities safe from gun violence. This budget would be a win for unscrupulous gun dealers and a terrible setback for A.T.F.’s state and local law enforcement partners.”.....
When Republicans derailed those negotiations and nothing passed, there was another mass shooting a year later, at which point Trump again wanted a gun bill, including restrictions on assault rifles — which, according to multiple accounts, was one of his long-sought goals.
In other words, as recently as his first term, the president at least briefly sought ambitious gun reforms, up to and including extrajudicial gun confiscations.
A couple of months ago, after a deadly on-campus shooting at Florida State University, Trump said, “I have an obligation to protect the Second Amendment.” But in the recent past, he had those same responsibilities, and it didn’t stop him from endorsing measures that might’ve saved lives.
Now, the Republican and his administration not only don’t want to bother, they’re also moving aggressively in the opposite direction.