U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the policy had ‘unfairly targeted law-abiding gun owners.’
The Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Monday that it will repeal a “zero tolerance” policy that allowed authorities to revoke the licenses of gun dealers who failed to conduct background checks.
The policy, known as the Enhanced Regulatory Enforcement Policy, has allowed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to revoke the licenses of gun dealers who allegedly committed “willful violations,” including selling firearms to prohibited individuals, falsifying records, and failing to respond to enforcement requests to trace firearms.
The DOJ said it is repealing the policy and revisiting two other rules: one aimed at reclassifying certain firearms as short-barreled rifles, and another concerning the definition of “engaging in the business” of selling guns.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said that the policy, which the Biden administration enacted in 2021, had “unfairly targeted law-abiding gun owners” and “created an undue burden on Americans seeking to exercise their constitutional right to bear arms.”
“This Department of Justice believes that the 2nd Amendment is not a second-class right,” Bondi said in a statement.
Acting ATF Director Kash Patel, who is also the FBI director, said the ATF will work with gun rights organizations, industry leaders, and legal experts to ensure that the policies protect the Second Amendment rights.
The move follows President Donald Trump’s Feb. 7 executive order directing the DOJ to review all Second Amendment-related policies, projects, rules, and government actions from January 2021 through January 2025.
Gun control advocacy group Brady condemned the DOJ’s move. The group’s president, Kris Brown, said the policy removal could potentially lead to an increase in violent crimes.
“By dismantling this policy, the Trump Administration is deliberately empowering these irresponsible gun dealers to operate without accountability, effectively arming criminals who will use these weapons to terrorize our communities,” Brown said in a statement.
Brown also accused the Trump administration of prioritizing the gun industry over the people’s safety, adding that the repeal “undermines years of progress in combating illegal firearms trafficking.”
