ATF Faces Major Cuts as DOJ Slashes Gun Dealer Inspectors by Two-Thirds
The DOJ’s 2026 budget proposal would cut over 500 ATF inspectors, reducing oversight of federally licensed gun dealers by 40%.
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The Department of Justice announced plans to reduce the number of inspectors at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives who monitor FFLs in a rollback of Biden-era regulations.
The recently unveiled 2026 Budget Proposal shows that the Justice Department intends to cut two-thirds of Industry Operations Investigators, eliminating 541 of the 811 investigators the ATF uses to track FFLs.
IOIs typically monitor federally licensed gun deals to ensure they comply with federal gun laws, such as preventing straw purchases and keeping guns out of the hands of traffickers.
Officials say the reduction in workforce would hamper the ATF’s ability to regulate guns by “approximately 40%” starting in November.
The Bureau has worked to decrease spending this year after the Trump Administration demanded the ATF cut a third of its $1.6 billion budget. The budget proposal indicates that cutting investigative positions will cut overall costs by $468 million.
Outside of IOI positions, the Agency also intends to cut 470 other positions through attrition of agents and support staff – cutting an additional $354 million.
Anti-gun organizations sounded the alarm over the reduction, calling it “devastating” and pointing to the fact that the ATF is already understaffed.
“These are devastating cuts to law enforcement funding and would undermine ATF’s ability to keep communities safe from gun violence,” John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, told The New York Times.
“This budget would be a win for unscrupulous gun dealers and a terrible setback for ATF.’s state and local law enforcement partners.”
But Republican legislators argue that the ATF undercuts the Second Amendment and deserves an overhaul.
“There’s a lot of things that are being done by the ATF that are not about keeping people safe. It’s just about making everyone who wants to own a firearm make our lives miserable,” Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO) told The Washington Examiner.
Also nestled in the budget cuts is the Justice Department’s decision to merge the Drug Enforcement Agency and ATF – eventually phasing the ATF out entirely.
The ATF has had a turbulent year so far. President Trump appointed FBI Director Kash Patel as interim director before handing the job to Daniel Driscoll, who also serves as Secretary of the Army. Attorney General Pam Bondi also asked the Agency to review and reconsider the pistol brace ban and background checks on private gun sales.
The Justice Department declined to comment on the workforce reduction.
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