The Trump administration on Wednesday announced a sweeping rollback of gun regulations, prompting criticism from gun control advocates who called the moves misguided and dangerous.
“Nothing we are doing today weakens law enforcement,” the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, said at a news conference where he described 34 planned changes in federal gun regulations. He also welcomed the newly confirmed director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Robert Cekada.
The changes include rescinding a 2024 regulation from the Biden administration that sought to end what gun control advocates call the “gun show loophole.” That exemption allowed unlicensed dealers to sell firearms without performing a background check to see if the prospective buyer was prohibited by law from owning a gun.
The administration also plans to rescind a 2023 rule that restricted pistol braces, an attachment that enables the shooter to hold the weapon against their shoulder like a rifle. A federal court had already struck down that rule.
The changes are in keeping with the administration’s promise to curtail gun regulation. In February 2025, President Trump signed an executive order telling the Justice Department “to assess any ongoing infringements of the Second Amendment rights of our citizens.” In December, the department established a section of the civil rights division focused on gun rights.
John Feinblatt, the president of Everytown for Gun Safety, decried the Justice Department’s moves on Wednesday, citing the gunman who tried to breach a black-tie gala at the Washington Hilton over the weekend as a reason for more stringent regulations.
“Four days after the nation watched gunfire break out at the White House correspondents’ dinner, the Trump administration’s answer is to gut common-sense gun safety laws and sabotage the only federal agency dedicated to keeping guns out of criminal hands,” Mr. Feinblatt said in a statement.
Mr. Blanche insisted that losing such regulations posed no new safety risks for law enforcement or public safety, and were in keeping with the Trump administration’s pledge to protect Second Amendment rights. He said more changes would follow.
Mr. Cekada is only the third person to gain confirmation to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives since the position began requiring Senate approval in 2006. He has worked at the agency for more than 20 years, ascending to deputy director in April 2025, where he essentially oversaw its day-to-day operations.
Devlin Barrett covers the Justice Department and the F.B.I. for The Times.
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