In a move that has sparked controversy, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has taken down a contentious anti-gun exhibit from its national headquarters.
The exhibit, known as the 'Faces of Gun Violence,' featured 120 portraits of individuals who lost their lives in gun-related incidents. The installation, which was put up during the Biden administration, was removed earlier this year by officials appointed by President Trump.
According to Gateway Pundit, the Department of Justice confirmed the decision, marking another reversal of the subtle gun control messaging that had been woven into federal agencies during Biden's term. Despite the removal of the physical exhibit, an anti-gun propaganda video remains on the ATF's YouTube page.
Chad Gilmartin, a spokesperson for the DOJ, insisted that the removal was not politically motivated but was part of broader efforts to align agency messaging with the Second Amendment values upheld by recent Supreme Court rulings. The exhibit included images of high-profile victims such as Robert Godwin Sr., who was murdered in Cleveland in 2017, and portraits of children killed in school shootings, alongside fallen law enforcement officers. Critics, however, have long argued that the exhibit was a thinly disguised piece of anti-gun propaganda, strategically placed in a federal law enforcement building to bolster a narrative advocating for stricter firearm restrictions.
The removal of the exhibit has sparked outrage among gun control activists and groups aligned with Biden. Kris Brown, president of Brady United Against Gun Violence, accused the ATF of being "politicized" and described the removal as "a gut punch to every American family affected by gun violence." Brenda Haymon Joiner, whose child was one of the victims featured in the exhibit, called the action "cruel and deeply disrespectful."
George Takei, the elderly left-wing actor from Star Trek, also criticized the change on Facebook, claiming it re-traumatized the victims' families. However, many supporters of the Second Amendment believe the removal was long overdue.
Ammoland, a leading firearms news outlet, released a video praising the decision, describing the exhibit as "a taxpayer-funded guilt trip" that cast suspicion on law-abiding gun owners by implying collective responsibility for criminal violence. The outlet's editorial pointed out that many of the deaths highlighted in the exhibit had no connection to legally-purchased firearms or ATF-regulated activity, raising questions about the exhibit's relevance to the agency's mission.
During the Biden administration, the ATF faced criticism for its increasingly partisan messaging, which included partnerships with groups such as Everytown for Gun Safety and appearances at activist events. The memorial exhibit was one of several initiatives quietly pushed into public view without input from Congress or the firearm-owning public.
The ATF leadership has indicated that it is looking for other ways to honor victims of crime without conflating tragedy with political ideology. Gilmartin noted that the agency will "seek a more inclusive and respectful approach" that doesn't alienate millions of responsible gun owners.
The ATF leadership has undergone significant changes since Biden's departure. Pamela Hicks, ATFs Chief Counsel, was dismissed by the Trump administration and escorted out of the Washington, D.C. headquarters on February 20th. The current Acting Director of the ATF is Daniel Driscoll.
Left-wing activists often use the term "gun violence" to include suicides, accidental shootings, and shootings by law enforcement, thereby inflating their statistics. The older term "gun crime" significantly reduces the number of annual incidents involving a gun. For instance, in 2022, there were approximately 48,204 firearm-related deaths in the United States, but suicides accounted for about 56% of all gun-related deaths.
While left-wing outlets like National Public Radio and Hyperallergic frame the exhibit's removal as a 'cruel erasure' of victims' memories, they overlook the broader context of politicized federal overreach. Their coverage fails to mention that no such exhibit ever existed to honor victims of knife violence, gang shootings, or border-related crime all of which statistically overshadow the types of incidents highlighted by the display.
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