US reinstates ‘gun show loophole’ amid rollback of firearms restrictions | US gun control
The US justice department has rolled back some key restrictions on guns, including the reintroduction of the so-called “gun show loophole” at such events that allows people to buy firearms without a background check.
The changes announced by acting attorney general Todd Blanche amount to a shift in firearms policy advocated by second amendment supporters prominent in Donald Trump’s supporter base.
Blanche claimed the changes brought gun regulations into line with high court rulings and reduced red tape for firearms dealers and owners. He described the list of revisions as the “most comprehensive regulatory reform package in history” of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
In 2024, the Biden administration closed the “gun show loophole,” which prevented firearms dealers from doing background checks on buyers at gun shows and other locations outside of brick-and-mortar stores. The Biden administration has begun requiring anyone “in the business” of selling firearms for profit to obtain a federal firearms license (FFL) and check to see if they are selling guns at gun shows, online or in person.
Gun rights groups and Republican-led states had challenged this rule in court, arguing that it violated the constitutional amendment on the right to bear arms and that Joe Biden, as president, did not have the authority to enforce it.
“For too long, regulations have been written without any real understanding of how firearms businesses operate, how legal gun owners use their firearms, or what actually improves public safety,” Blanche said.
The new plans also include rescinding the 2023 rule restricting pistol braces, an attachment that allows the shooter to shoulder the gun like a rifle. The federal court had already struck down this rule.
“Nothing we do today weakens law enforcement,” Blanche added.
Gun control groups said the administration was pandering to gun rights advocates and predicting the country would be less safe.
“Four days after the nation watched gunfire erupt over a White House correspondents’ dinner, the Trump administration’s response was to undermine common-sense gun safety laws and sabotage the only federal agency dedicated to keeping guns out of the hands of criminals,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety.
Trump’s response to gun violence is “breaking common sense gun safety laws and sabotaging the only federal agency dedicated to keeping guns out of the hands of criminals,” the group said in a fundraising email.
The changes come after the new ATF chief was confirmed by the US Senate. Robert Cekada, a longtime law enforcement officer, last year led the agency responsible for enforcing the nation’s gun laws as deputy director.
“Rob is the right person to lead the ATF right now,” Blanche said.
The changes follow administration promises to weaken gun regulation. In one of the first executive orders Trump issued in February last year, directed Department of Justice “to evaluate continued violations of our citizens’ second amendment rights.” He later created a division of the civil rights department that focused on gun rights.
