The Justice Department is considering merging the ATF and the Drug Enforcement Agency as part of a major restructuring of the DOJ, according to a memo sent by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche last week. The memo, which requested feedback on the plan, was sparse on details, and mentioned only that the proposed consolidation was meant “to achieve efficiencies in resources, case deconfliction, and regulatory efforts.” Per The New York Times, combining the agencies would “almost certainly” require congressional approval. As The Trace’s Jennifer Mascia reported last month, GOP lawmakers have tried for years to restructure or abolish the ATF — meaning that, with the current makeup of Congress, legislative approval likely wouldn’t be much of a problem.
The ATF is tasked not only with regulating the gun industry, but also with assisting law enforcement agencies across the country with investigating gun crimes. Under the Biden administration, the agency was directed to strengthen oversight of gun dealers and regulation of firearms, including a restriction on “ghost gun” kits that the Supreme Court just upheld. The proposed merger, however, marks something of a return to form: The ATF has long been an agency in flux; the gun lobby and its congressional allies have frequently attempted to limit the bureau’s enforcement powers and resources.
There have been other hints that the ATF is in for a shakeup. As The Trace’s Champe Barton reported in February, President Donald Trump’s unprecedented appointment of FBI Director Kash Patel to also serve as acting chief of the ATF stirred initial fears about the future of the country’s top gun regulator. David Chipman, a former ATF special agent and onetime nominee to lead the agency, told Barton that the Trump administration appears to “have no interest in ATF actually carrying out its mission.” He added: “The goal it seems is to let the agency die on the vine.”
From The Trace
Ahead of Potential Funding Cuts, Philadelphia’s Gun Violence Prevention Sector Prepares to Pivot: Even with a city budget proposal that pays for community-driven intervention work, organizers are worried about President Donald Trump’s promises to slash federal grants.
This Lawmaker Wants to Give the Families of Illinois Homicide Victims a Way to Reopen Cold Cases: After four years of rejection, Kam Buckner is advancing legislation that would help survivors of gun violence get information about their loved ones’ cases and work toward closure.
Supreme Court Upholds Biden Administration’s Ghost Gun Rule: The decision clears the way for federal authorities to continue restricting the sale of kits for assembling untraceable weapons at home — at least for now.
What to Know Today
The U.S. Justice Department opened an investigation into the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department for potentially violating the Second Amendment with long wait times for concealed carry licenses, part of a broader review of “restrictive firearms-related laws” in states. The investigation is classified as pattern-or-practice, a type of probe that usually focuses on police misconduct like excessive use of force or racial bias; two law professors said they had never seen a pattern-or-practice investigation used this way. [Los Angeles Times]
President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week establishing a multiagency federal task force charged with making Washington, D.C., “safe and beautiful once again.” Among the task force’s directives is expediting concealed carry licenses. [WTOP]
Last week, a Pennsylvania jury found Maurice Byrd — a Black man who fatally shot a white man, claiming self-defense — not guilty of first-degree murder and all related counts. Byrd’s 2024 clash with Stephen Strassburg was among several others in which Strassburg used racist language, according to police and neighbors. His case tested “stand your ground” in the state. [The Philadelphia Inquirer]
Major cities are canceling their contracts for the controversial gunshot-detection system ShotSpotter, citing its cost, a low confirmation of shootings, and its underwhelming effect on gun violence. [USA TODAY]
The district attorney in El Paso, Texas, decided to stop pursuing the death penalty against the man who killed 23 people in a racist mass shooting at a local Walmart in 2019. The DA, James Montoya, said his office reached the decision to offer the shooter a plea deal in consultation with victims’ families; the case had passed through four prosecutors and lasted for six years. [The Texas Tribune]
After President Donald Trump’s order to develop a “plan of action” for any policies his administration determines violate gun rights, the Justice Department is evaluating whether to defend strict federal regulations on silencers in an ongoing criminal case. It would be a short-term win for gun rights activists — but it could also make it harder for them to challenge the restrictions in court. [CNN]
For the third year in a row, the Florida House passed legislation to undo a state ban on gun sales to those under 21, a law enacted after the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The state Senate stalled corresponding bills in the past two legislative sessions, and it’s possible the upper chamber may do so again. The U.S. 11th Circuit recently upheld Florida’s law, marking a major addition to a series of divergent opinions on age restrictions for guns. [Florida Phoenix]
The March 24 issue of The Bulletin merited a clarification. The website edition has been updated to clarify that President Donald Trump is moving to dismantle the Department of Education, but that he may encounter legal and Congressional hurdles. You can view the update here.
Data Point
$65,000 to $90,000 — the typical cost for each square mile of ShotSpotter sensors [The Trace]
Non Sequitur
We Are the People Who Buy Red Delicious Apples
“We are the ghosts of the grocery store, the mythical spirits of the supermarket. You do not want to acknowledge that we exist, but we are real, and we have the power to dictate the apple economy.” [McSweeney’s]
