Attorney General Pam Bondi is reportedly pursuing ATF regulatory changes designed to win favor with gun-rights advocates, including easing private-sale and shipping restrictions and recording applicants' biological sex at birth on purchase forms. Officials had hoped to announce the package at the NSSF trade show in Las Vegas, but plans remain under discussion. The outreach coincides with criticism of the Justice Department for missing court deadlines to publish Epstein-related case files and releasing under 1% of documents with heavy redactions.
Pam Bondi Seeks Gun-Rights Backing With Proposed ATF Rule Changes as Epstein File Criticism Grows
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Attorney General Pam Bondi has launched an urgent effort to shore up support from gun-rights advocates by proposing regulatory changes at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) as questions mount about her office's handling of Jeffrey Epstein–related case files.
Proposed ATF Changes
According to reporting in The Washington Post, the Justice Department is drafting revisions to ATF regulations that would ease limits on private firearm sales and shipping and would change gun-purchase forms to record applicants' biological sex at birth. Officials reportedly hoped to unveil the package at the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) trade show in Las Vegas, timed with a speech by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, but sources say details are still being finalized.
DoJ officials had hoped to time the announcement with Todd Blanche's appearance at a gun trade show this week. / Middle East Images/AFP via Getty
Political Context
President Donald Trump has signaled a pro–Second Amendment stance by appointing prominent gun-rights advocates to senior roles and reducing the number of firearm inspectors at the ATF. Still, some gun activists remain wary of Bondi: while serving as Florida attorney general, she supported tougher measures after the 2018 Parkland school shooting, a record that has left a number of advocates skeptical of her outreach.
Epstein File Backdrop
Bondi's outreach comes amid intense criticism of the Justice Department’s slow release of documents tied to the Epstein prosecution. The department missed a court-ordered deadline on Dec. 19 to publish remaining case files related to sex-trafficking charges involving Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Since that deadline, officials have released under 1% of the documents and have applied heavy redactions. A second Jan. 3 deadline to publish the rationale for those redactions was also missed, and two members of Congress have asked a federal judge to intervene, citing "urgent and grave concerns" about the pace of publication.
The move comes as the DoJ is accused of limiting release on fresh files from the Jeffrey Epstein case so as to shield Trump from further scrutiny of his past ties with the late pedophile. / Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Responses And Next Steps
The Daily Beast and other outlets have reached out to the Justice Department for comment. In a statement quoted by The Washington Post, a spokesperson praised Bondi's approach, saying: "The Biden Administration waged war against the Second Amendment, but that era has come to an end under Attorney General Bondi, who has led the Justice Department's effort to protect the Second Amendment through litigation, civil rights enforcement, regulatory reform, and by ending abusive enforcement practices. Whenever law-abiding gun owners' constitutional rights are violated, the Trump Administration will fight back in defense of freedom and the Constitution."
Officials continue to finalize the proposed ATF changes. If published, the rule package could reshape how private firearms transactions are regulated and how purchaser information is recorded, and it will be watched closely by both gun-rights advocates and critics concerned about transparency and legal process surrounding the Epstein files.
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