In a country where gun violence is the leading cause of death of children, the “pro- life” Trump administration seems to be doing its darnedest to make a horrible situation worse. Actually, it might already be worse because the Trump NIH has stopped updating its public statistics.
But if it hasn’t already gotten worse, we can count on that happening in the not-too-distant future, thanks to unelected Elon Musk's DOGE Bros infiltrating the ATF and working to destroy life-saving regulations.
Via The Washington Post:
The U.S. DOGE Service has sent staff to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with the goal of revising or eliminating dozens of rules and gun restrictions by July 4, according to multiple people with knowledge of the efforts, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss plans that have not been made public.
…
The revisions are part of a seismic shift unfolding at ATF as the Trump administration proposes slashing the law enforcement agency’s budget and dramatically reducing the number of inspectors who ensure that gun sellers are in compliance with federal laws. Some Republicans in Congress have called for abolishing the agency altogether, and Attorney General Pam Bondi has said she wants to merge ATF with the Drug Enforcement Administration.
If the plans are enacted, it would be a major win for pro-gun advocacy groups, who have long claimed ATF is an agency with too many gun regulations that tramples on Second Amendment rights. Gun-control advocates fear that the changes afoot at ATF will more easily allow potentially dangerous people to obtain weapons with little recourse.
That’s bad enough. But the Department of Justice is working to essentially make any compliance with gun laws optional by eliminating any likely penalty for violations. The DOJ budget calls for eliminating more than half the current inspectors in a workforce already stretched so thin that fewer than 10% of businesses and individuals the bureau regulates get inspected, The Post reported.
John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, told The Post, “These cuts would be a dream come true for gun traffickers, straw purchasers, and unscrupulous gun dealers — and a nightmare for law enforcement and public safety.”
Adam Skaggs, chief counsel and vice president of the Giffords Law Center called it “the most radical defunding of the police we have ever seen from the federal government.” As per The Post.
Remember when MAGA was blaming the left “defunding the police” (which they weren’t) for gun violence? Once again, that accusation turns out to be a projection.
Trump proved on Jan. 6 he’s happy to have his supporters kill anyone that gets in his way. Let’s not kid ourselves that he wouldn’t love to have a country full of armed supporters willing to kill at his behest
