OPINION: The appointment of FBI Director Kash Patel as acting head of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is bringing calls for an overhaul of the embattled federal gun agency, but in order to bring about real change, gun control laws must be altered or even repealed as well.
This would constitute genuine “gun reform,” a term which has been corrupted by the gun prohibition lobby as camo-speak for gun control.
The prospect has anti-gunners fearful and furious at the same time, as illustrated by a remark from Democrat Congresswoman Robin Kelly of Illinois, quoted by Fox News, calling Patel “a gun lobby puppet who has no business leading the FBI or the ATF.” Translation: ATF and FBI is exactly where Patel belongs, at least for the time being.
Where to begin with gun law reform? Congressional Republicans must be all aboard, and they have only two years to really get this done, prior to the mid-term elections of 2026.
One key might be in the results of Gallup polling over the past couple of years. According to Gallup, “In 2024, 56% of Americans think gun laws should be made more strict, 10% think they should be less strict, and 33% think they should be kept as they are now. This is consistent with the data from 2023, where 56% also thought gun laws should be more strict, 12% thought they should be less strict, and 31% thought they should be kept as they are now.”
However, Gallup added this observation: “Over the long-term trend, there has been a significant decrease in the percentage of Americans who think gun laws should be made more strict.”
Last fall, Gallup polling revealed an increase in the number of people who personally have guns in their homes. Gallup said 48 percent of survey respondents now answer “yes” to that question, whereas in October 2023, 42 percent had guns in their homes and in October 2022, it was 45 percent. In October 2021, the number was back at 42 percent.
Just as significantly, the percentage of people saying there is no gun in the home fell markedly, from 55 percent in October 2023 to 47 percent in October 2024.
Another Gallup revelation: “In 2025, 10% of Americans are very satisfied with the nation’s gun laws, 27% are somewhat satisfied, 21% are somewhat dissatisfied, 37% are very dissatisfied, and 3% have no opinion.”
What does this mean? The number of people dissatisfied with the nation’s gun control laws far outnumber those who are very satisfied. However, 40 percent say gun laws should be stricter, while only 12 percent want the laws relaxed. Thirty-seven percent are satisfied with gun laws as they are right now.
The numbers signal a change. Last year, 46 percent wanted stricter gun control laws, suggesting an increasing number of people think we’ve reached a limit on gun control restrictions.
Lastly, Gallup noted in its Fall 2024 poll that 34 percent of Americans say they personally own a gun and 15 percent say they live in a house where another person owns a gun.
“This shows an increase in personal gun ownership compared to 2023, where 30% reported personally owning a gun, 13% reported that another household member owns a gun, 54% reported no gun ownership,” Gallup said at the time.
For the gun prohibition movement, Donald Trump literally put the writing on the wall with his Feb. 7 Executive Order on guns and the Second Amendment.
“Section 1. Purpose. The Second Amendment is an indispensable safeguard of security and liberty. It has preserved the right of the American people to protect ourselves, our families, and our freedoms since the founding of our great Nation. Because it is foundational to maintaining all other rights held by Americans, the right to keep and bear arms must not be infringed.
“Sec. 2. Plan of Action. (a) Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Attorney General shall examine all orders, regulations, guidance, plans, international agreements, and other actions of executive departments and agencies (agencies) to assess any ongoing infringements of the Second Amendment rights of our citizens, and present a proposed plan of action to the President, through the Domestic Policy Advisor, to protect the Second Amendment rights of all Americans.
(b) In developing such proposed plan of action, the Attorney General shall review, at a minimum:
(i) All Presidential and agencies’ actions from January 2021 through January 2025 that purport to promote safety but may have impinged on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens;
(ii) Rules promulgated by the Department of Justice, including by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, from January 2021 through January 2025 pertaining to firearms and/or Federal firearms licensees;
(iii) Agencies’ plans, orders, and actions regarding the so-called “enhanced regulatory enforcement policy” pertaining to firearms and/or Federal firearms licensees;
(iv) Reports and related documents issued by the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention;
(v) The positions taken by the United States in any and all ongoing and potential litigation that affects or could affect the ability of Americans to exercise their Second Amendment rights;
(vi) Agencies’ classifications of firearms and ammunition; and
(vii) The processing of applications to make, manufacture, transfer, or export firearms.
“Sec. 3. Implementation. Upon submission of the proposed plan of action described in section 2 of this order, the Attorney General shall work with the Domestic Policy Advisor to finalize the plan of action and establish a process for implementation.”
It is Section 2(b)(ii) which has the gun control crowd quaking. Even before the November election, the Brady United gun ban group was in hysterics, declaring that Trump’s pro-Second Amendment agenda would include “arming teachers, cutting community violence intervention funding, and increasing police violence.”
Brady didn’t stop there, instead trying to bring race and gender politics into the battle.
“The language used in the writing he stands by,” Brady asserted, “will harm Black and Brown Americans and members of the LGBTQ+ community – people who are already disproportionately affected by gun violence.”
To accomplish all of what the president and gun owners appear to want—including an overhaul at ATF, if not an outright shutdown of the agency followed by a complete restructuring—will likely require amending or repealing at least some existing gun control laws.
Here are some suggestions:
- Ban waiting periods for gun purchases and require all states to be tied in with the FBI’s National Instant Check System, to avoid fiascos such as happened in Washington state last year, when the state system shut down for more than two weeks. (*If the waiting period cannot be entirely scrapped, it should at least allow for same-day transfers for anyone possessing an active concealed carry permit or license, since they have already gone through a background check to get the permit/license).
- Prohibit purchase limits on firearms and ammunition which may restrict citizens to one gun per month and remove limits on the amount of ammunition someone can buy in bulk.
- Outlaw “permit-to-purchase” statutes anywhere they now exist. This is the United States, not a Police State. Law-abiding citizens do not need permission from the police in order to exercise a right protected by the constitution.
One final thought, which seems to appeal to gun owners in states such as Washington, Oregon, California, New York and other places with increasingly restrictive gun laws, is that the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division should target state laws which deprive citizens of their constitutional rights under color of such laws.
As the NRA posted on “X” the other day, “For far too long, ATF has focused on how it can manipulate federal statutes to restrict the rights of law-abiding Americans. We look forward to working with Acting Director Patel to protect and expand Second Amendment freedoms.”
The appointment of FBI Director @Kash_Patel as Acting Director of the ATF is a great first step by President Trump to reform this deeply troubled agency.
For far too long, ATF has focused on how it can manipulate federal statutes to restrict the rights of law-abiding Americans.… pic.twitter.com/T3ILQNrheD
— NRA (@NRA) February 24, 2025
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