OAN Staff Blake Wolf
12:47 PM – Sunday, February 23, 2025
Newly sworn-in FBI Director Kash Patel is expected to be tapped by President Donald Trump to serve as the head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
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Multiple outlets have confirmed that Patel is set to serve as the leader of two of the largest agencies within the Justice Department, replacing the ATF’s current acting director, Marvin Richardson.
The ATF has a budget of around $1.6 billion and employs over 5,200 individuals. The agency is primarily focused on enforcing federal firearm, explosive, and arson laws.
Patel’s appointment to the ATF could be announced as soon as next week and follows just days after Attorney General Pam Bondi fired the ATF’s chief counsel, Pamela Hicks for “targeting gun owners.”
“Not gonna happen under this administration,” Bondi added.
Under the Biden administration, the ATF introduced multiple new firearm regulations requiring dealers to run background checks at gun shows while also introducing regulations on ghost guns.
The most recent ATF director, Steve Dettelbach, stepped down after more than two years of leading the agency.
“As is typical in a transition, and consistent with the memorandum sent to all presidential appointees on Dec. 19, Director Dettelbach has rendered his resignation to President Biden effective January 18, 2025,” wrote Kristina Mastropasqua, the AFT’s Chief of Public Affairs. “Leading the courageous and incredible men and women of ATF has been the greatest honor of his professional life.”
President Donald Trump has been a critic of both Dettelbach and the ATF, stating during his campaign that he plans to “sack the radical gun grabber Steve Dettelbach.”
Republicans in Congress have proposed to cut the agency’s budget by $188 million within the 2025 fiscal year, arguing that the agency oversteps its intended purpose while continually increasing restrictions and regulations for gun owners.
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