Kash Patel Should Clean House at the ATF

BREAKING

President Trump has requested Kash Patel to be appearing director of the ATF. Kash is a real constitutionalist and is fiercely pro-gun. pic.twitter.com/HzL828GZji

— Gun House owners of America (@GunOwners) February 23, 2025

With Kash Patel now within the place of Appearing Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the company is in for a shake-up.

One factor that Patel can do is do away with downside workers who’ve gone out of their solution to infringe on the rights of People to maintain and bear arms. This purge has already began with the firing of the ATF’s Chief Council, Pam Hicks. Hicks was a rabid anti-gun lawyer that selected to defend very constitutionally doubtful guidelines. Though Hicks was a great first step, with out eradicating different downside members, nothing will change.

The primary person who Patel ought to take away from the Bureau is the ATF’s Deputy Director, Marvin Richardson. Mr. Richardson has been behind a few of the ATF’s most controversial guidelines. He was the driving drive behind the reclassification of pistols outfitted with braces. Mr. Richardson proposed reclassifying pistols with braces and unfinished firearms frames throughout a 2020 assembly with the Biden transition staff with out President Trump’s information.

Even earlier than the ATF’s pistol brace rule, Richardson tried to close down the brace business. At his path, ATF’s enforcement aspect issued stop and desist letters to Q, LLC, relating to its Honey Badger pistol, which was outfitted with an SB Tactical brace. The ATF claimed that the Honey Badger was a short-barreled rifle (SBR). ATF’s enforcement aspect issued the letters after the Trump Justice Division (DOJ) had ordered ATF’s business aspect to not transfer on braces. And Q, LLC wasn’t the one firm to obtain a letter; a number of firms producing braced pistols additionally acquired them. However finally, the ATF was pressured to again down.

The one factor that stopped Richardson from going after privately manufactured firearms (PMF) and pistol braces throughout Trump’s first time period was the shortage of “political capital.” He acknowledged that he hoped that will change as soon as Biden was sworn in. Shortly after Biden was sworn in, he began attacking PMFs and pistol braces. With him nonetheless in a management place on the ATF, it permits the anti-gun aspect to have an “in” on the Bureau.

Mr. Patel ought to have a look at Matthew Varisco. Mr. Varisco is the ATF Assistant Director for the Workplace of Discipline Operations. When he labored out of the Philadelphia Discipline Workplace, he pushed the concentrating on of firms promoting firearms precursor elements, together with issuing a cease-and-desist letter to JSD Provide. This motion was taken earlier than the rule change of pistol frames. He pioneered the thought of firearms “structuring.” In accordance with Varisco, if somebody buys firearms elements from a number of firms to construct a working firearm, that’s “structuring.” This use of the time period was the primary time it was used exterior banking crimes. He claimed that the potential for “structuring” meant that every one 80% firearm frames wanted to be handled like accomplished weapons. Mr. Varisco’s thought of “structuring” made it into the ultimate rule.

Workplace of Enforcement Packages and Providers Assistant Director Megan Bennett also needs to be on the chopping block. Beneath Ms. Bennett’s management, the division tried to implement the pistol brace rule even after enforcement of the rule was blocked in federal court docket. The division claimed that despite the fact that the rule was blocked, they may nonetheless interpret the federal statute nonetheless they preferred, contemplating all pistols outfitted with braces as short-barreled rifles (SBR). Ultimately, the ATF was pressured to again down.

Kash Patel wants to fireplace Lisa T. Boykin as soon as and for all. Ms. Boykin was the top of DEI on the ATF earlier than her title was modified to “Senior Government.” This transfer was to sidestep President Trump’s Government Order ending all DEI positions. Trump particularly stated that authorities companies mustn’t conceal DEI workers. Sources on the ATF have stated she was positioned on administrative depart. She remains to be listed on the ATF’s management web page. Mr. Patel ought to think about parting methods with Ms. Boykin completely.

One other group of workers that must be examined on a case-by-case foundation is the business operation investigators (IOI). A few of these IOIs use their place to place gun outlets out of enterprise, though others are usually not anti-gun. Mr. Patel ought to order the ATF to overview all actions by these IOIs to find out if they’re abusing their place to behave out a political agenda.

These are just some of the various workers that Kash Patel ought to take a tough have a look at and determine whether or not they need to nonetheless have a job contained in the ATF. Many extra are usually not recognized to the general public and needs to be pressured into new careers.

About John Crump

Mr. Crump is an NRA teacher and a constitutional activist. John has written about firearms, interviewed individuals from all walks of life, and on the Structure. John lives in Northern Virginia together with his spouse and sons, observe him on X at @crumpyss, or at www.crumpy.com.