Ranking Members Raskin, McBath Lead Judiciary Democrats in Strongly Objecting to ATF’s Efforts to Get Rid of Gun Safety Regulations
Judiciary Democrats Warn Sweeping Rollbacks Would Weaken Background Checks, Remove Anti-Gun Trafficking Guardrails, and Undermine Public Safety
Washington, D.C. (July 30, 2026)—Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Lucy McBath, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance, led Judiciary Democrats in objecting to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) dangerous package of proposed rules that would dramatically roll back longstanding firearms safeguards and undermine public safety.
“As Democratic Members of the House Committee on the Judiciary, we write to express our opposition to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) dangerous package of proposed rules to roll back commonsense gun safety policies. Taken together, these proposals constitute the most sweeping effort in decades to weaken federal firearms safeguards, prevent accountability within the firearms industry, limit law enforcement’s oversight of firearms dealers, and make it easier for dangerous individuals to obtain dangerous weapons,” wrote Committee Democrats.
Congress has repeatedly acted on a bipartisan basis to strengthen background checks, combat illegal gun trafficking, support crime gun tracing, improve firearms dealer accountability, and prevent firearms from reaching dangerous individuals. Most recently, Congress enacted the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to close gaps in the background check system and strengthen public safety. ATF’s proposed rules would brazenly reverse this progress and move the country in the opposite direction.
ATF’s proposed rules would weaken federal firearms safeguards by allowing more sellers to avoid licensing and background check requirements, making it harder for law enforcement to investigate gun crimes and trace crime guns, reducing dealer accountability, and creating new opportunities for firearms trafficking and straw purchasing. The proposals would also undermine longstanding protections governing dangerous weapons and individuals who are prohibited from possessing firearms.
Taken together, these proposals would fundamentally alter how firearms are sold, transferred, tracked, and regulated in the United States—even allowing more firearms to be sold without the buyer appearing in person.
They would weaken the tools law enforcement relies on to prevent gun violence, investigate crimes, and hold illegal gun traffickers accountable—without providing any evidence that these rollbacks would improve public safety.
Beyond their public safety consequences, the proposed expansion of remote firearm sales raises serious ethical problems. President Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., stands to profit from this rule change. He owns a stake in an online firearms retailer and sits on the company’s board. The CEO recently bragged on an investor call that the company is “uniquely positioned” to profit from this rule and other related proposed rules that the company hopes will enable it to become the “Amazon of guns.” If this rule is enacted, Congress will certainly have reason to believe that millions of Americans were put at risk so that the President’s family might profit.
Judiciary Democrats are urging ATF to withdraw these dangerous proposals, provide Congress with a detailed public safety impact analysis, and provide evidence supporting ATF’s claims that these changes would improve public safety.
Click here to read the letter.