The usually criticized Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has operated beneath an appearing director since February. Now, President Donald Trump is in search of to place an finish to that scenario.
On November 19, the president nominated ATF Deputy Director Robert Cekada to be dire tor of the company. As former NYPD detective and 20-year veteran of ATF, Cekada brings a variety of crucial expertise to the position.
In accordance with an internet biography, Cekada served beforehand as a particular agent-in-charge of the Miami and Baltimore Subject Divisions. Previous to that he was the Assistant Particular Agent in Cost in Philadelphia and resident Agent in Cost in Miami. Extra just lately, he has served because the Government Assistant Director – Operations, Workplace of the Director since September 2022, the place he oversaw ATF’s Workplace of Regulatory Operations, Workplace of Subject Operations and the Workplace of Intelligence Operations.
Whereas pro-gun rights organizations have been loudly crucial of the company prior to now, not less than one such group is praising Trump’s nomination of Cekada to the submit. The Residents Committee for the Proper to Hold and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) posted a information launch saying the group “welcomes” the nomination.
“We recall when Mr. Cekada was named Deputy Director again in April that he obtained excessive reward from many within the firearms group,” CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb mentioned within the information launch. “He brings appreciable expertise, together with what we consider are actually pro-Second Modification views, which might be a pleasant change from the earlier administration.”
Gottlieb additionally mentioned that Cekada’s a few years of expertise make him uniquely certified for the job.
“With these credentials, Mr. Cekada comes certified to go the company, which is altering its focus beneath the present administration,” Gottlieb mentioned. “He has come up via the ranks, beginning his profession as a Particular Agent within the Baltimore Subject Division’s Hyattsville II Subject Workplace some 20 years in the past. Having somebody along with his institutional information taking the helm may very well be what the company must straighten its course.”
Finally, Gottlieb says his group appears to be like ahead to the affirmation course of, the place Cekada’s views about gun possession and the Second Modification will probably be on full show.
The American Suppressor Affiliation (ASA), which represents some of the regulated producer teams within the nation, additionally was happy with President Trump’s nomination of Cekada, calling him the “first ever pro-Second Modification nominee.”
“In his position as Deputy Director, we have now labored carefully with Robert Cekada to make sure law-abiding gun homeowners have a seat on the desk in shaping coverage,” Knox Williams, ASA president and government director, mentioned in a launched assertion. “By nominating an ATF Director who understands our group and respects our constitutional rights, President Trump and his administration are additional underscoring their dedication to standing up for the Second Modification and gun homeowners. We urge the Senate to verify him directly.”
The Senate has not but scheduled Cekada’s affirmation listening to to kick off the affirmation course of.
