Analysis: The Potential Controversy of an Uncontroversial ATF Nominee [Member Exclusive]

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

Trump’s decide, Robert Cekada, has spent the final 20 years in numerous 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 decide, one with the potential to even garner bipartisan help. However, in 2025, the comparatively milquetoast nomination may anger gun-rights activists.

The shortage of fanfare and vital controversy across the Cekada decide is fascinating, maybe telling. In spite of everything, that is the administration that has been prepared to appoint extremely polarizing figures from RFK Jr to Kash Patel to Pete Hegseth. And he’s been prepared to face behind them by means of all kinds of failures and controversies.

It’s virtually been the second Trump Administration’s modus operandi to push high-profile nominees designed to piss off its political opponents.

Moreover, the Biden Administration had already opened the door to politicize the ATF Director place. Whereas the company’s earlier administrators have been largely profession legislation enforcement brokers with few public gun coverage positions, Biden broke that development by nominating David Chipman. Although Chipman had expertise as an ATF agent, he was picked for the position due to his later work with the gun-control group Giffords.

Earlier than being nominated, Chipman advocated for a slew of latest gun restrictions, comparable to an AR-15 ban, mocked gun house owners, and attacked the gun trade. His nomination was loudly cheered by gun-control teams. In spite of everything, he was set to go straight from a kind of teams to operating the ATF.

Cekada has obtained reward from gun trade teams, together with the Nationwide Taking pictures Sports activities Basis and the American Suppressor Affiliation. They’ve assured supporters that he’s pro-gun, however there’s no approach to publicly confirm what Cekada believes on the most important coverage questions. And the gun-rights teams have been extra blended on information of his nomination.

The Residents Committee for the Proper to Hold and Bear Arms reacted positively, however the Nationwide Rifle Affiliation, Gun Homeowners of America, and Nationwide Affiliation for Gun Rights all took a wait-and-see strategy. Although there’s motive to consider the trade teams, they’ve labored straight with Cekada throughout his time on the ATF in spite of everything, it’s clear this nomination isn’t like Chipman’s nomination.

It’s laborious to say precisely why the Trump Administration wasn’t extra aggressive in its ATF decide.

In fact, there may be the truth that Biden’s Chipman gamble finally failed after The Reload reported critical allegations an agent levied in opposition to him throughout his time at ATF. Whereas the scandal could have put the ultimate nail in his nomination’s coffin, it was his abrasive advocacy for aggressive gun-control measures that put him on shaky floor to start with.

Nonetheless, Cekada is a safer decide than even Biden’s eventual follow-up. After Chipman withdrew, Biden picked former US Lawyer Stephen Dettelbach to run ATF. Regardless that he ran a failed marketing campaign for Ohio Lawyer Normal as a Democrat who publicly supported an AR-15 ban and different gun restrictions, Dettelbach made it by means of the affirmation course of.

So, Trump’s chosen strategy may alienate some gun-rights advocates, who the Administration has given causes to be glad, but in addition causes to be pissed.

So much is dependent upon how gun-rights advocates finally view the decide. In the event that they see it as Trump being unwilling to stay out his neck for a extra overtly pro-gun nominee, that might ruffle feathers. In the event that they see it, because the trade seems to, like a transfer that’s a realistic approach to get any individual they will work with in good religion right into a everlasting position atop the ATF throughout a time the place Trump has been much less and fewer profitable getting his picks by means of the Senate, that might assist maintain them within the fold.

What Cekada’s decide means for the ATF on a sensible stage is much less clear.

It could even be price asking what’s the purpose of this transfer? Cekada was virtually operating the ATF anyway. The company was briefly (very briefly?) run by FBI Director Kash Patel. Then, at some undisclosed level, President Trump swapped Patel with Secretary of the Military Daniel Driscoll. However Cekada has been Deputy Director since early this yr, and he’s been the face of a number of vital strikes–together with issuing new guidelines which have made gun-rights advocates glad.

So, if Cekada is confirmed, not a lot is more likely to change within the quick time period. It looks as if there’s some backlash threat however little upside with this decide. Nevertheless, possibly that calculation modifications after the affirmation hearings?