Justice Department Eyes Major Rollback of Federal Gun Laws

The Justice Department is quietly preparing to loosen several federal gun rules, a move aimed at shoring up support from gun-rights activists while risking new legal and political fights, according to people familiar with the plans who spoke to the Washington Post. The changes under discussion reportedly include easing limits on private gun sales, relaxing regulations on shipping firearms, expanding what types of guns can be imported, and allowing refunds on certain federal licensing fees. Officials also plan to revise the standard purchase form so buyers must list their sex assigned at birth, rather than simply "sex." The rules are still being finalized and sources say it's not yet clear when the announcement will happen.

Inside the department, the effort reflects a broader push to satisfy a core segment of President Trump's base that argues his administration has not moved fast or far enough to dismantle gun restrictions, even as law-enforcement leaders warn about weakening the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The administration has already proposed cutting roughly 5,000 ATF law enforcement positions and revising or eliminating dozens of existing firearms rules. The regulatory campaign is unfolding against a contentious backdrop. Any ATF rule changes, which rest on the bureau's reading of laws passed by Congress, are likely to attract court challenges. Internally, some Justice officials worry that announcing aggressive deregulation could complicate the confirmation of the new ATF head by alienating moderate Republicans in the Senate.

Personnel moves mirror the regulatory shift. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who has faced skepticism from some gun-rights groups over her past support for restrictions in Florida, backed the nomination of longtime ATF official Robert Cekada to lead the bureau, even as some activists had wanted an outright advocate in the top job. Bondi also replaced ATF's veteran general counsel with Robert Leider, a political appointee who has argued the agency overregulates firearms and is now driving efforts to pare back rules and streamline the federal Form 4473. At the Civil Rights Division, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon has created a new Second Amendment section that immediately challenged Washington, DC's assault weapons ban, drawing questions from Senate Democrats about the group's legality and mission. See the full story at the Post.