In a massive shake-up of federal firearm enforcement, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced sweeping cuts to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). According to Washington Gun Law’s William Kirk and Langley Outdoors Academy’s Braden Langley, as well as New York Times journalist Glenn Thrush, the DOJ plans to eliminate 541 of the ATF’s 800 inspectors, gutting nearly two-thirds of the agency’s inspection force.
These inspectors, known as Industry Operations Investigators (IOIs), are responsible for monitoring Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) and ensuring compliance with federal gun laws. Now, most of them are headed for the unemployment line. And while some see this as a step toward accountability and reform, others are calling it a dangerous rollback.
Numbers Don’t Lie: 541 Jobs Gone, $354 Million Saved
As William Kirk explained in his video report, this is not just a symbolic gesture. “542 of those positions are going to be eliminated,” Kirk said, “and that’s going to save the ATF roughly $82 million.” But that’s just the start. The total budget reduction spans 470 staff positions across the ATF, resulting in a projected savings of $354 million.
Kirk emphasized that this is part of a larger redirection of federal resources away from what he calls “harassment of lawful FFLs” and toward addressing actual gun crime, like black-market trafficking and illegal accessories such as Glock switches.
Langley: Good Cuts, Bad Timing
Braden Langley, host of Langley Outdoors Academy, didn’t mince words. “I love the idea of downsizing the outsized influence of the ATF,” he said in his June 18th update. Langley explained that the cuts are a direct hit to an agency that had become bloated, overly powerful, and weaponized under previous administrations.
But Langley also raised a red flag. He warns that the timing of this move, right as a proposed merger between the ATF and the DEA gains traction, could undermine everything. “If it stops right here, it’s a win,” he said. “But if they merge with the DEA and get 10,000 new employees, triple the budget, and more tactical units, we’ve just built a Frankenstein.”
New York Times Confirms: Cuts Are Official
New York Times journalist Glenn Thrush backed up all of this with hard numbers and internal documentation. In his June 18th article, Thrush reported that DOJ documents show a planned 67% cut in the inspection workforce. These cuts are part of a wider effort by the Trump administration to “defang and downsize” the ATF and roll back Biden-era gun control efforts.
Thrush adds that the Biden-era crackdown, focused on ghost guns, pistol braces, and background checks, has been replaced with a completely different philosophy under Attorney General Pam Bondi. Her DOJ is aggressively pushing for resource reallocation, which includes these cuts and possibly a merger with the DEA.
A Demoralized ATF Left Leaderless
Thrush also painted a picture of an agency in disarray. With career staffers quitting, agents reassigned to immigration duties, and no clear leadership in place, the ATF has become “rudderless and demoralized.” The most recent change in oversight handed control of the agency from FBI Director Kash Patel to Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, who, according to Thrush’s sources, “was not happy” to take the assignment.
This kind of turnover and confusion at the top has only added fuel to the fire. Many insiders believe the ATF is being set up to fail – or at least shrink to irrelevance.
Mission Creep or Mission Collapse?
Both Kirk and Langley stress that IOIs were never the real problem. According to DOJ data cited by Kirk, 88.8% of gun crimes involve people who were already prohibited from possessing firearms, meaning they couldn’t have bought them legally from an FFL in the first place.
Langley takes it further, warning that the ATF’s inflated workforce was part of a slow “mission creep” toward backdoor gun control. He explains how agencies often overinflate their needs in order to get more funding, only to later justify regulatory expansions.
Gun Control Groups Sound the Alarm
Not everyone is cheering. Gun control advocates are calling this move a disaster. Glenn Thrush quoted John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, who said, “These are devastating cuts to law enforcement funding and would undermine ATF’s ability to keep communities safe from gun violence.”
Feinblatt warns that the loss of oversight will benefit “unscrupulous gun dealers” and weaken coordination with state and local police. Everytown and similar groups are now hoping the cuts can be reversed by Congress or a future administration.
The Cuts Are Big – but Watch the Other Hand
On the surface, cutting 500+ ATF jobs sounds like a win for gun rights. But as both Langley and Kirk point out, there’s something bigger happening in the background. The proposed ATF-DEA merger could give the ATF access to more power, not less, despite these staffing cuts.
In short: the government might be downsizing with one hand and expanding with the other. Fewer IOIs on the street? Yes. But what happens when their job is taken over by a larger, more militarized force under the DEA’s structure?
A Shift Away from Harassing Gun Stores
One of Kirk’s most important points was that lawful FFLs aren’t the source of America’s gun violence. They follow federal law. They run background checks. They log every sale. “I don’t care who the gun store is – they ain’t selling you the gun if you don’t pass a federal background check,” he stated.
Kirk argues that resources should go toward targeting the real sources of gun crime: illegal trafficking, gang pipelines, and underground accessory markets. From his point of view, the DOJ’s budget cut is the first real step in that direction.
DOJ Strategy: Tactical or Political?
There’s still a lot we don’t know about the long-term strategy behind these moves. Is the Trump DOJ trying to dismantle the ATF altogether? Or are they just shifting gears to rebuild it under a new name and mission?
Langley’s take is that it’s too early to celebrate. “If it merges with DEA, we just created a monster,” he said. “But if we draw a hard line – no merger, just cuts – then we’ve made real progress.”
Real Reform or Rearranged Power?
Whether you see this as a win or a warning depends on what happens next. If the ATF is truly being downsized and reined in, then it’s a long-awaited course correction. But if it simply merges into a larger and more powerful agency, the problem might just wear a new badge.
One thing is clear: the ATF as we knew it is changing fast. And the people paying attention, on both sides of the gun debate, know this moment is more than just a budget line item. It’s a turning point.
Gary’s love for adventure and preparedness stems from his background as a former Army medic. Having served in remote locations around the world, he knows the importance of being ready for any situation, whether in the wilderness or urban environments. Gary’s practical medical expertise blends with his passion for outdoor survival, making him an expert in both emergency medical care and rugged, off-the-grid living. He writes to equip readers with the skills needed to stay safe and resilient in any scenario.