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ATF Invites FFLs Zeroed Out Under Biden-Harris to Reapply

Tuesday, May 27, 2025

ATF Invites FFLs Zeroed Out Under Biden-Harris to Reapply

Among all the infringements of the Second Amendment perpetrated by the Biden-Harris regime, one of the most punitive and consequential was ATF’s “zero tolerance” enforcement policy for Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs). This scheme turned routine inspections of FFLs into a reign of terror that could end longstanding, legitimate businesses over simple paperwork or procedural errors. Adding to the persecutory nature of this campaign was the fact that the administration was simultaneously trying to require more and more gun sellers to be licensed. Thus, unlicensed sellers risked going to prison (or worse), while licensed sellers could be shut down over harmless mistakes. Fortunately, the Biden-Harris war on gun sales ended with the election of President Trump, under whose watch ATF ended zero tolerance FFL inspections.

That was a positive start and the beginning of a possible healing of the rift between American’s licensed gun businesses and the agency that is supposed to provide oversight (rather than summary execution) of them.

 On May 21, however, ATF went a step further and announced that “Federal firearms licensees that surrendered their licenses, had their licenses revoked, or had their applications denied based on the [zero tolerance program] may reapply.” ATF will “review new applications and all pending licensing matters under the new administrative action policy,” which provides a fairer and more wholistic assessment of alleged instances of noncompliance.

ATF credited President Trump’s Feb. 7, 2025, Executive Order Protecting Second Amendment Rights as the basis for terminating zero tolerance, implementing a fairer enforcement policy, and reexamining the prior adverse licensing actions. It encouraged individuals with questions about how this announcement applies to prior decisions to “contact their local ATF field office or email [email protected].”

Ending zero tolerance was one of NRA-ILA’s highest priority agenda items for President Trump’s second term. In a memorandum to the administration containing suggestions for implementing the Protecting Second Amendment Rights Executive Order, NRA-ILA wrote:

ATF’s enhanced regulatory enforcement policy should be formally repudiated by the current administration. Those who tried to justify “inherent” willfulness should have no further role in crafting ATF enforcement policies or making legal determinations on behalf of the agency. There should also be a review of FFLs that were revoked under this policy, and cases that did not involve a proper application of “willfulness” or involved inadvertent mistakes posing no material risk to public safety should be reopened. Going forward, ATF must enforce a proper standard of willfulness that requires the agency to carry its burden to establish this element under the specific facts of each case.

Happily, all these things have now come to pass. Not only has ATF ended zero tolerance, replaced it with a more reasonable standard, and invited FFLs adversely affected by it to reapply, it has parted ways with several senior officials previously involved in crafting its legal policy. This includes the former acting director, chief counsel, and senior policy counsel. We also reported last week how DOJ ended another overreaching ATF enforcement effort by settling the outstanding legal cases involving Rare Breed and other parties involved in ATF’s forced reset trigger crackdown. ATF additionally took the recent step of removing a politically inspired display curated by gun control activists from its D.C. headquarters, further reinforcing that it is getting back to focusing on dangerous criminals, rather than anti-gun virtue signaling.

To be sure, ATF will not re-earn the trust of the American public overnight. Nevertheless, President Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi are taking proactive steps to reform the troubled agency and reassure gun owners and businesses that the ATF is retraining its sights on the bad guys.

We look forward to reporting on further developments in this unfolding story.

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North Carolina: Update on Permitless Carry

Tuesday, September 30, 2025

North Carolina: Update on Permitless Carry

Last week the North Carolina General Assembly briefly returned from recess and re-referred Senate Bill 50, Freedom to Carry NC, to the House Rules Committee.

Federal Court Strikes Down Biden Administration’s “Engaged in the Business” Rule in NRA Case

Thursday, October 2, 2025

Federal Court Strikes Down Biden Administration’s “Engaged in the Business” Rule in NRA Case

Yesterday, in Butler v. Bondi, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama held that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives exceeded its statutory authority by issuing its 2024 Final Rule expanding ...

President Trump’s GOP Leads Polling on Crime and Guns, To No Surprise

News  

Monday, October 6, 2025

President Trump’s GOP Leads Polling on Crime and Guns, To No Surprise

A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll revealed that Americans know the President Donald Trump-led Republican Party has a better plan than their Democratic Party opponents on crime and gun control.

First Affirmative Lawsuit in Support of Gun Owners Filed by Trump’s DOJ

News  

Monday, October 6, 2025

First Affirmative Lawsuit in Support of Gun Owners Filed by Trump’s DOJ

California officials’ egregious foot-dragging over the issuance of carry permits has finally attracted the ire of the federal Department of Justice (DOJ). 

NRA Files Amicus Brief in Fifth Circuit Case Challenging the Federal Switchblade Act

Friday, October 3, 2025

NRA Files Amicus Brief in Fifth Circuit Case Challenging the Federal Switchblade Act

Yesterday, the National Rifle Association filed an amicus brief in Knife Rights, Inc. v. Bondi, urging the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas’s decision upholding the Federal ...

Trump Administration Repeals Biden Era Firearms Export Crackdown

News  

Monday, October 6, 2025

Trump Administration Repeals Biden Era Firearms Export Crackdown

Last Monday, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) at the U.S. Department of Commerce published a final rule that reversed a crackdown on the commercial export of firearms from the U.S. to other countries.

Trust in Mass Media Craters to New Lows, in Single Digits With Republicans

News  

Monday, October 6, 2025

Trust in Mass Media Craters to New Lows, in Single Digits With Republicans

There’s an old saying that rings especially true to Second Amendment supporters: If you don’t read the news, you’re uninformed.

Alphabet Eases the Reins on Censorship; Will Gun Content Eventually Benefit?

News  

Tuesday, September 30, 2025

Alphabet Eases the Reins on Censorship; Will Gun Content Eventually Benefit?

With the free speech debate recently co-opted by one TV host’s use of false and incendiary remarks about his political opponents, it might have been easy to miss another important First Amendment story last week. 

Canada’s Public Safety Minister on Gun Ban & Confiscation: “Don’t Ask Me to Explain the Logic”

News  

Monday, September 29, 2025

Canada’s Public Safety Minister on Gun Ban & Confiscation: “Don’t Ask Me to Explain the Logic”

There have been multiple developments on the Canadian gun grab and ban in the last few days, but the most astounding has got to be a leaked bombshell recording of the Liberal Public Safety Minister, ...

U.S. Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Challenge to Hawaii’s Private Property Default Carry Ban

Friday, October 3, 2025

U.S. Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Challenge to Hawaii’s Private Property Default Carry Ban

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court granted the petition for certiorari in Wolford v. Lopez, a challenge to Hawaii’s law forbidding carry on private property open to the public (such as restaurants, gas stations, and grocery stores) ...

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NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.