Certainly, the horrible attack in New Orleans has put a damper on our New Year’s celebrations. But it has also put the ATF, one of the most important federal law enforcement agencies, back in the spotlight as well. And it’s coming at a time when the agency’s leadership is about to be back in flux.
The ATF confirmed to me this week that Director Steven Dettelbach will step down on January 18th, just two days before Donald Trump retakes office. The agency didn’t say who would run the agency between Dettelbach’s departure and Trump’s eventual replacement pick, but it did describe the move as routine.
Gun-rights advocates are pleased to see Dettelbach go, as they hope for a new nominee who is closer to their liking. But as I explain for members, that might be a harder task than it sounds.
Plus, another federal judge has tossed gun charges against a Texas man who admitted he regularly smoked weed. And I took a look at how one of the last bills Congress passed in 2024 is evidence of just how popular recreational shooting and hunting still are in the United States. No podcast this week due to the holiday break, but we still have a lot of interesting stories from outside The Reload down in the links section.
ATF Confirms Director to Resign on January 18th
By Stephen Gutowski
ATF Director Steven Dettelbach plans to resign just days before Donald Trump retakes office.
On Thursday, the ATF told The Reload that Dettelbach submitted his resignation to President Joe Biden with an effective date of January 18th, 2025. That is the first official confirmation of Dettelbach’s plan since he told The New York Times he planned to step down before the end of Biden’s term. The agency did not say who would replace Dettelbach in the interim but described his resignation as a normal part of the transition between presidential administrations.
“As is typical in a transition, and consistent with the memorandum sent to all presidential appointees on Dec. 19, Director Dettelbach has rendered his resignation to President Biden effective January 18, 2025,” Kristina Mastropasqua, ATF’s Chief of Public Affairs, told The Reload. “Leading the courageous and incredible men and women of ATF has been the greatest honor of his professional life.”
Analysis: Will Trump Get to Appoint a Permanent ATF Director? [Member Exclusive]
By Stephen Gutowski
In 2006, Congress made the ATF Director a Senate-confirmed position, and it’s been getting in the way of the president’s preferred picks ever since.
On Thursday, the ATF said Director Steven Dettelbach submitted his resignation letter to President Joe Biden. He will be out of the role precisely two days before Trump retakes the office. That gives Donald Trump another shot at appointing a permanent director of his own.
However, since it became a confirmed position, the ATF has had far more failed director nominees than confirmed ones. Can Trump overcome those odds? Will he even try?
If you’re a Reload Member, click here to read more. If not, buy a membership today for exclusive access!
Federal Judge Strikes Down Gun Ban for Habitual Marijuana User
By Jake Fogleman
Regularly smoking weed does not necessarily void a person’s Second Amendment rights, according to a new ruling by a federal judge in Texas.
On Monday, US District Judge David Briones dismissed a criminal indictment against an El Paso man caught with multiple bags of marijuana and firearms in his home. He determined that the Government couldn’t prove the man was high at the time of his arrest. Therefore, his prosecution represented an unconstitutional application of the federal law that bans drug users from owning firearms.
“Defendant is part of ‘the people’ whose conduct is covered and protected by the Second Amendment,” Judge Briones wrote in US v. Gil. “Because he is part of ‘the people,’ the Government had the burden to identify a historical analogue similar enough to 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(3) to show that individuals like Defendant were disarmed at the time of the Founding. The Government failed to meet its burden. Therefore, the Court finds that 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(3) is unconstitutional as applied to Defendant.”
Analysis: Recreational Shooting Remains Popular Across Party Lines [Member Exclusive]
By Stephen Gutowski
As 2024 drew to a close, one of the last things Congress did was expand opportunities for Americans to practice shooting on federal lands. It did so with broad bipartisan support and without any noticeable opposition.
It was so uncontroversial that it received practically zero news coverage beyond The Reload.
Now, Congress included the range access bill as part of a larger piece of legislation featuring several uncontroversial reforms to federal land management. It also doesn’t address any of the gun-rights movement’s top priorities and just focuses on the more modest goal of range development. But the bill’s overwhelmingly bipartisan nature and breezy path through Congress provide a more concrete example of just how popular recreational shooting is in the United States than any opinion poll could show.
If you’re a Reload Member, click here to read the rest. If not, buy a membership for exclusive access to this and hundreds of other stories!
Outside The Reload
Gun laws likely to be a subject of friction in Florida in 2025 | Miami Herald | By Romy Ellenbogen
That’s it for this week in guns.
I’ll see you all next week.
Thanks,
Stephen Gutowski
Founder
The Reload
