Firearms dealers across the United States are voicing their opposition to the Biden administration's recent surge in license revocations, a move that has sparked legal battles and threats of withholding information about suspicious buyers from federal agencies.
This backlash is in response to what dealers perceive as an overreach of government authority.
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) has revoked the licenses of 122 dealers since October, marking a significant increase from 90 in the previous year and a mere 27 in 2021. This level of revocation is unprecedented, with neither the Trump nor Obama administrations ever revoking more than 81 licenses in a single year since at least 2013.
The response to these shutdowns within the law enforcement community is mixed. While some officials welcome the crackdown, viewing it as an end to lenient treatment of dealers, others fear it will hinder their crime-fighting efforts, as firearm dealers often serve as valuable allies in combating crime.
Rick Vasquez, a retired ATF agent, told the Journal, "The ATF, previous to this administration, had a Lets see if we can help you attitude and some gun dealers took advantage of that." Peter Forcelli, a retired deputy assistant director, echoed these sentiments, stating, The gun dealers were our first line of defense against gun trafficking." He further questioned the administration's approach, asking, "Why are we now beating an ally into submission?"
Anthony Navaro, a dealer who had his license revoked, accused the administration of using minor paperwork errors as a means to undermine the Second Amendment. "We were making $1 million a year, now its less than $100,000," he lamented, "This policy is designed to be a backdoor violation of the Second Amendment."
ATF Director Steve Dettelbach defended the crackdown, stating, "Weve taken steps to hold accountable those few dealers who are engaging in these willful violations. Theyre not going to have the privilege of being a gun dealer anymore."
In June, Rep. Matthew M. Rosendale Sr. (R-MT) accused the Biden administration of "weaponizing federal agencies to target and harass hard-working Americans for exercising their constitutional rights." This statement followed a raid by the ATF and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on a gun shop, during which background check forms were seized.
A letter to the heads of the agencies expressed concern over the raid, stating, "While we wait to hear more details and the rationale behind this raid, given the positions of the Biden Administration this raid appears to be an attempt to intimidate firearms dealers and owners."
The letter further suggested that a "pattern of intimidation and harassment seems to be emerging under Director Dettelbachs leadership of the ATF," and alleged that this pattern is being directed by the White House.
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