DOJ Kills Biden's ATF Gun Dealer Power Grab

Acting AG Todd Blanche's DOJ filed a motion to dismiss Texas v. ATF, ending the administration's defense of a controversial ATF rule that dramatically expanded who qualifies as "engaged in the business" of selling firearms — and therefore required to obtain a federal firearms license.

The Biden ATF cooked up this regulation to criminalize ordinary Americans selling guns from their personal collections. Under that rule, selling even a handful of firearms could trigger federal licensing requirements, turning law-abiding gun owners into unlicensed dealers overnight.

Texas led the charge against this naked power grab, arguing the ATF rule exceeded the agency's statutory authority and violated the rights of everyday citizens. They were right — and now the DOJ agrees.

This is what a pro-Constitution administration looks like in action. Instead of defending bureaucratic overreach that targeted responsible gun owners while doing nothing to stop actual criminals, Blanche's DOJ pulled the plug.

The ATF spent years building a surveillance architecture around private firearm transfers. This rule was a cornerstone of that effort — a backdoor registry scheme dressed up as consumer protection.

Gun rights organizations celebrated the move as a major victory. The case drew national attention as a test of whether the executive branch would keep weaponizing federal agencies against the Second Amendment community.

The dismissal does not automatically erase the rule from the books. Gun owners must stay engaged — demand your representatives push for full legislative repeal of the "engaged in the business" overreach and defund every ATF program built on its foundation.