House Republicans introducing a bill to abolish the ATF

Joined
Apr 26, 2015
Messages
33,846
Sponsors so far include Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Mike Collins (R-Ga.), Bob Onder (R-Mo.), Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Mary Miller (R-Ill.), Keith Self (R-Texas), and Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.).

 
I would like to see them go away as I just would like to see less duplication within the gov't. Could shift the required missions to another agency (would have said the FBI in the past but I doubt them more now). The gain there is that you could get rid of a lot of overhead staff, HQ's, duplicative schools, etc. while saving a lot of $$.
 
I am generally in favor of eliminating as many government agencies as possible. Much of it's mission is tax related so that would need to continue under the Treasury dept. The law enforcement part could be moved to a reformed FBI.

I am not sure you would gain much though. The regulatory regime being shuffled around does not fix anything.
 
Abolishing BATFE doesn't resolve anything if the laws aren't repealed either. BATFE's jurisdictional enforcement duties will just be transferred to another agency.

Exactly.

Furthermore, it'll make a mess of things while the agency burdened with those duties figures it out. I would expect major delays and screw ups with licensing and NFA transfers.

Better would be to reform the agency as it exists. Install competent people higher up and draw very clear boundaries between enforcement, interpretation and policy making. Warn that heads will roll if the agency tries to play legislature, and follow through if it happens.
 
I am generally in favor of eliminating as many government agencies as possible. Much of it's mission is tax related so that would need to continue under the Treasury dept. The law enforcement part could be moved to a reformed FBI.

I am not sure you would gain much though. The regulatory regime being shuffled around does not fix anything.
ATF hasn't been responsible for tax collection for more than two decades.
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau
 
Removing their arrest powers would go a long way.

The government needs to shrink. The only way to do that is eliminate or merge agencies. Unfortunately, that will cause short-term problems, but short-term easy fixes done in one administration can be undone in the next. The point of this is not the improve gun-rights, but to improve government.
 
Not the worst plan, but the dod budget needs to be cut in half
I wouldn't argue that, but what really needs to happen first is to make the DoD budget for the DoD and not all the pork which gets put in it. I think in 2009 the DoD was the #1 funder of breast cancer research. Sorry, that is not a DoD function. I think the CIA retirement fund is in there and a lot of other things which one would not expect to be there.

So, when people say that we spend X on defense, it isn't really an accurate statement.
 
I would argue we need functioning federal agencies to investigate federal crimes. Crimes that cross state lines. Stolen guns, explosives, sex trafficking, terrorist threats.

Sadly, it feels more like many of them, in the upper management, are turning into enforcement arms, against American citizens, of those that want to destroy America.

And, turning a blind eye on actual threats to the US.

“Abolishing” the ATF means nothing and, is stupid. The laws are still there. Someone will be tasked with enforcing them.

I’d prefer LAWS were changed. Choke collars and short leashes put on the agencies in domestic dealings.
 
I would like to see them go away as I just would like to see less duplication within the gov't. Could shift the required missions to another agency (would have said the FBI in the past but I doubt them more now). The gain there is that you could get rid of a lot of overhead staff, HQ's, duplicative schools, etc. while saving a lot of $$.
No, what would happen, the way Govt does stuff is they would create 4 more agencies and have 4 times the waste,!

Once a big agency is created it is so ingrained into everything it is impossible to change. I saw it in State Govt


All we care about is firearms, what about alcohol, tobacco and explosives??

Hey, I have a great idea why don;t we do this?
Answer is NO,
why not?
Cause we have always done it that way.
:)
 
I would like to see them go away as I just would like to see less duplication within the gov't. Could shift the required missions to another agency (would have said the FBI in the past but I doubt them more now). The gain there is that you could get rid of a lot of overhead staff, HQ's, duplicative schools, etc. while saving a lot of $$.
Not to mention, any time an "agency" exists, it has to find things to do to justify its existence.
 
The American public, in general (?) doesn't care, or there would be many more cosigners for the bill.

And the American publics' 'attention span'🥴 is about 30 seconds with iPhones etc. Ding, ding, ding....o_O
 
Last edited:
I would personally prefer to see the Hughes Amendment repealed and for suppressors to be removed from the NFA for starters. I aslo agree with others that leave the ATF in place but clean house and make sure they know that they are only to enforce laws passed by Congress instead of trying to interpret laws and change the rules when ever they feel like it.
 
Last edited:
Removing their arrest powers would go a long way.

The government needs to shrink. The only way to do that is eliminate or merge agencies. Unfortunately, that will cause short-term problems, but short-term easy fixes done in one administration can be undone in the next. The point of this is not the improve gun-rights, but to improve government.
The FBI didn't have arrest powers and carry guns until FDR.

What basically created the forerunner to ATF was when prohibition ended. All those federal booze agents needed something new to do. Enforce gun taxes was their new mission.

And from there, mission creep as exploded.

The agency should be severely cut in sworn agents. As should a number of federal LE.
 
Back
Top