Justice Department Announces Changes to Firearm Regulations

The Justice Department announced a series of changes to existing firearms regulations four days after an attack at the White House Correspondents Dinner. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and newly confirmed Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives head Robert Cekada presented the proposals.

They stated the changes would ease requirements for the firearms industry and lawful gun owners.

The 34 proposed changes were published in the Federal Register. Most focus on reducing paperwork or formalizing the end of rules already blocked by courts. Cekada said the reforms reflect a commitment to regulations that are clear, legally sound, and narrowly tailored to public safety and law enforcement.

The Justice Department has filed lawsuits against states with stricter firearm restrictions. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon stated the department would challenge Virginia's new assault weapons ban in court. The department also sued Colorado over its ban on larger-capacity magazines and sued Denver over its assault weapons ban.

One set of changes addresses pistol-stabilizing braces.

A 2023 rule required owners to destroy or register braced guns with the ATF, but courts later blocked enforcement. Gun control advocates have criticized the removal of the brace regulation. Kris Brown, president of Brady, said the accessory turns a pistol into a short-barreled rifle.

Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year, which eliminated a $200 National Firearms Act tax on silencers and short-barreled rifles. The Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen overturned state limits on carrying guns outside the home.

Aidan Johnston, director of federal affairs for Gun Owners of America, said the combination of actions across all three branches of government represents progress on Second Amendment issues. Gun-related deaths remain a leading cause of death for people ages 1 to 19.