Newsletter: Trump Picks Permanent ATF Director

This week, in a little bit of a shock, we bought a brand new ATF Director nominee.

President Donald Trump picked Robert Cekada to serve a 10-year time period as the pinnacle of the company. Who’s Cekada? He’s a profession law-enforcement agent with 20 years of expertise on the ATF, and he at present serves because the company’s Deputy Director. Realistically, he’s in all probability already largely working the place anyway.

Whereas that comparatively uncontroversial background makes him a candidate to sail by affirmation, maybe even with bipartisan help, it additionally makes his nomination a departure from latest historical past, the place President Joe Biden put up extra overtly political figures. And that reality makes Cekada an fascinating choose in addition to a probably controversial one amongst Trump’s supporters within the gun-rights motion.

He’ll additionally face elevated strain from Democrats over President Trump’s diversion of ATF assets from gun legislation enforcement towards immigration enforcement, since a coalition of over 70 Home members despatched a letter to the company this week demanding they flip over a bunch of information.

Delaware residents may also face new hoops to leap by earlier than they’ll purchase pistols after a last-minute lawsuit failed to dam the state’s new permit-to-purchase legislation from going into impact. Contributing Author Jake Fogleman additionally explains why it’s more and more potential the Supreme Court docket may add much more Second Modification circumstances to its plate this time period.

Plus, NRA Board Member Amanda Suffecool joins the podcast to elucidate how reformers plan to show across the group by new restructuring efforts. And you’ve got the chance to bid on a charity vary day with me! All proceeds will go to help the registered charity Properties For Our Troops!

Trump Nominates Deputy Director to Prime ATF FunctionBy Stephen Gutowski

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) could quickly have a brand new everlasting director.

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump nominated Robert Cekada to run the ATF. Cekada is at present the company’s Deputy Director. Trump appointed him to that place again in April.

If confirmed, Cekada will change Performing Director Daniel Driscoll–who can be the Secretary of the Military. Driscoll himself changed the brief, hazy tenure of Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel–who could have served for as little as in the future within the position. Patel changed the final everlasting ATF Director, Stephen Dettlebach–who served within the place for 3 years and resigned in January.

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Charity Vary Day Public sale

It’s that point of yr once more! Time to provide again, but in addition have some enjoyable within the course of.

That’s proper, it’s the Properties For Our Troops movie star public sale! I’m, as soon as once more, volunteering because the least-famous individual to supply up one thing to bid on haha. You possibly can win a variety day for 2 with yours really in both Southeast Pennsylvania or Northern Virginia.

In the event you’ve been a Reload Member for lengthy, you recognize that is one among my favourite occasions of the yr yearly. We’ve had a number of superior vary days so far, and I count on this yr to be no totally different on that entrance.

These are small, intimate vary days. I’ve tended to host them up close to my Mother’s horse farm in Pennsylvania, since that’s been greatest for a lot of the winners. It’s principally only a day of taking pictures the place we will hang around and get some set off time in, or I may give you extra of a educating expertise. All of it will depend on your ability stage and what you wish to get out of the day. I present the weapons, ammo, and vary. Though, after all, you’re additionally free to convey your personal.

Both means, it’s loads of enjoyable and the entire cash you bid goes on to a tremendous trigger.

Properties For Our Troops, because the identify implies, is a registered 501(c)(3) charity that builds specialised properties for severely injured post-9/11 troops. (You possibly can truly volunteer to assist construct these properties if there’s a undertaking close to you, too.)

So, if you wish to go taking pictures with me AND assist profit a terrific charity, bid on my vary day right this moment! In fact, you can even bid on the opposite unimaginable choices from A-list celebrities, athletes, and reporters (like a set go to to the following season of Severance).

Evaluation: The Potential Controversy of an Uncontroversial ATF Nominee [Member Exclusive]By Stephen Gutowski

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump quietly nominated the Deputy Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to turn into the company’s everlasting director.

Trump’s choose, Robert Cekada, has spent the final 20 years in varied roles on the ATF. Earlier than that, he labored in anti-gang and SWAT operations on the NYPD and in a Florida police division. Throughout his profession, he has taken few–if any–public positions on controversial gun coverage questions.

That sort of document makes Cekada a type of throwback choose, one with the potential to even garner bipartisan help. However, in 2025, the comparatively milquetoast nomination may anger gun-rights activists.

In the event you’re a Reload Member, click on right here to learn the remaining. If not, purchase a membership right this moment for unique entry!

Dozens of Democrats Demand ATF Clarify Useful resource Shifting Towards Immigration EnforcementBy Stephen Gutowski

Democratic lawmakers are placing strain on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to element how a lot it has shifted its enforcement priorities in the course of the second Trump Administration, particularly into operations like immigration raids.

On Tuesday, Congressman Joe Morelle (D., N.Y.-25) despatched a letter to Lawyer Basic Pam Bondi (R.), FBI Director Kash Patel, and Performing ATF Director David Driscoll demanding they reply a sequence of questions by subsequent month. The letter was co-signed by seventy different Home Democrats. In it, Morrelle accused the ATF of decreasing its efforts to fight gun crime and requested for latest enforcement knowledge in addition to particulars on its involvement in immigration enforcement.

“We’re writing to you right this moment to share our deep issues about latest reviews on federal legislation enforcement agent reallocations and personnel attritions throughout the Division of Justice (DOJ), together with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI),” the congressman wrote. “The actions by the DOJ jeopardize necessary public security initiatives, together with defending the American folks from gun crime.”

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Federal Decide Upholds Delaware Allow-to-Buy LegislationBy Jake Fogleman

First State residents will now must acquire a allow earlier than shopping for a handgun after a federal decide rejected an eleventh-hour try by gun-rights advocates to forestall the mandate from taking impact.

US District Decide Maryellen Noreika denied a Friday night time movement for an emergency preliminary injunction that sought to delay implementation of the state’s new permit-to-purchase regime. She decided that the plaintiffs couldn’t present that the state is ill-prepared to accommodate a statewide allowing system and thus dangers depriving residents of an avenue to acquire handguns.

“As a result of the Court docket finds that plaintiff has didn’t show probability of success on the deserves, it needn’t consider the opposite components of the evaluation: irreparable hurt, balancing of the equities, and public curiosity,” Noreika wrote in Neuberger v. Bushweller. “For the foregoing causes, plaintiffs’ movement for a preliminary injunction is denied.”

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Podcast: NRA Board Member Explains the Group’s Restructuring (Ft. Amanda Suffecool)By Stephen Gutowski

This week, we’re taking an in depth have a look at what’s happening with the Nationwide Rifle Affiliation (NRA).

The NRA was swamped by its rivals within the gun debate in the course of the 2025 elections simply because it was saying a significant restructuring effort that featured dozens of employees furloughs. To supply perception into the group’s plans, we’ve introduced on NRA board member Amanda Suffecool. She is a member of the inner reform motion and now sits on the board’s Finance Committee.

You possibly can hearken to the present in your favourite podcasting app or by clicking right here. Video of the episode is accessible on our YouTube channel.

Plus, Contributing Author Jake Fogleman and I focus on the Connecticut Lawyer Basic’s new lawsuit menace towards Ruger if the corporate doesn’t agree to revamp its widespread RXM pistol. We speak about how that demand got here the identical week that gun-control advocates had been capable of pierce the PLCAA in a separate lawsuit towards the corporate that seeks to carry it chargeable for the 2021 Boulder taking pictures.

Audio right here. Video right here.

Evaluation: Will SCOTUS Take Extra Second Modification Circumstances This Time period? [Member Exclusive]By Jake Fogleman

The Supreme Court docket of america (SCOTUS) is already set to rule on a historic Second Modification caseload this time period. However the justices may add to that after they contemplate a variety of high-profile circumstances on among the most unsettled points in gun-rights litigation over their subsequent two conferences.

On Friday, as an illustration, the justices held a convention that featured 4 separate circumstances over the Second Modification rights of adults beneath 21. Particularly, these circumstances concern challenges to state and federal legal guidelines that limit the flexibility of 18-to 20-year-olds to buy or carry sure firearms.

Nonetheless, as a part of The Court docket’s subsequent scheduled convention, the justices are additionally slated to contemplate greater than three dozen separate requests for overview in challenges to the federal gun ban for convicted felons. And whereas that variety of requests just isn’t itself significantly notable—Part 922(g)(1) is concurrently essentially the most generally enforced federal gun-control legislation and essentially the most ceaselessly challenged one for the reason that SCOTUS shifted the usual for reviewing Second Modification circumstances in 2022’s New York State Rifle and Pistol Affiliation v. Bruen—not less than two of the circumstances to be mentioned this week occur to be among the many most carefully watched as-applied challenges by non-violent felons.

In the event you’re a Reload Member, click on right here to learn the remaining. If not, purchase a membership for unique entry to this and tons of of different tales!

Outdoors The Reload

Within the FBI’s Crosshairs: the Socialist Rifle Affiliation | CATO At Liberty | By Patrick G. Eddington

NYC gun consumers elevate Second Modification attraction over licensing guidelines | Courthouse Information Service | By Josh Russell

Is the Federal Prohibition on Felon Firearm Possession Constitutional? | Volokh Conspiracy | By Jonathan H. Adler

This Gun Case Harks Again to Constitutional Considerations In regards to the Limits of Federal Energy That Now Appear Quaint | Cause | By Jacob Sullum

Gun proprietor fights California silencer ban at Ninth Circuit | Courthouse Information Service | By Quinn Welsch

That’s it for this week in weapons.

If you wish to hear professional evaluation of those tales and extra, ensure you seize a Reload membership to get our unique evaluation e-newsletter each Sunday!

I’ll see you all subsequent week.

Thanks,Stephen GutowskiFounderThe Reload