ATF chief warns that agency cuts could result in dire consequences [View all]
Source: CBS News
January 4, 2025 / 8:41 PM EST
Washington — With just days remaining in the Biden administration, not all of the president's appointees are departing quietly. Steven Dettelbach, director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, is warning that the incoming administration has the agency in its sights.
Dettelbach's agency helped identify Thomas Crooks — the gunman in the July assassination attempt on President-elect Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania — by tracing the assault rifle which Crooks fired. "In the assassination attempt on President Trump, ATF identified the shooter in that case in under 30 minutes," Dettelbach said.
He says the ATF is navigating a wave of gun dangers, including ghost guns, one of which was used in the killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO in New York City last month. "They're very pervasive because they appeal to people who can't get guns legally," Dettelbach said. These small parts, some created on 3D printers, can turn traditional guns into automatic weapons.
Dettelbach, who expects to leave his post when Trump is inaugurated, warns that the ATF is a prime target for major reductions.
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/atf-chief-steven-dettelbach-warns-against-agency-cuts-dire-consequences/
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