Will Merging ATF and DEA Be the End of Gun Rights as We Know Them?

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The Trump Administration’s plan to merge the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is stirring up a hornet’s nest among gun owners and gun-rights organizations. The proposal, which was recently unearthed by Gun Owners of America (GOA) in late March, is raising concerns over its potential impact on the Second Amendment and the future of law-abiding gun owners across the United States.

While reviewing the DEA’s FY 2026 budget proposal, GOA discovered a section that outlines the proposed merger. The document states: “To most successfully, effectively, and efficiently continue the fight to eradicate the designated cartel FTOs and seek to eliminate violent crime, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) will be incorporated into DEA, addressing both drug and gun crime. This transition will be initiated in FY 2026 and achieve efficiencies in resources and case deconfliction.”

On the surface, the merger might seem like an effort to streamline resources and enhance coordination between drug and gun enforcement. However, GOA and other gun-rights groups see it differently. They argue that the merger would only serve to empower an already embattled ATF—an agency that has a long and controversial history of persecuting lawful gun owners and sellers. Instead of making the ATF less powerful, this merger could hand the agency even more authority, further eroding the rights of Americans who legally own firearms.

In response to the initial discovery of the merger plan, GOA quickly raised the alarm. The organization took to X (formerly Twitter) to warn gun owners about the potential consequences. “BREAKING. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has ordered DOJ to come up with a plan to potentially merge ATF and DEA,” the group posted. “This would be a DISASTER for gun owners and the Second Amendment.” The group’s outrage is rooted in the fear that the merger would only make it easier for the ATF to conduct overreaching enforcement actions against gun owners while cutting down on the accountability that the agency currently faces.

As May 30 rolled around and the proposal gained traction, GOA again took to social media to voice their concerns. “The White House just officially proposed merging ATF and DEA,” the organization posted. “Just imagine: 3x ATF budget, 4x ATF tactical units, 10,000-plus new employees, reduced oversight and accountability. Merging is NOT abolishing, it’s a DANGEROUS Trojan Horse.” The warning echoes the belief that combining the two agencies is not some kind of reform, but a dangerous power grab that would make it more difficult for gun owners to push back against an overzealous government.

But the potential consequences of the merger go beyond just the increased power of the ATF. It raises some very serious, unanswered questions. Who would control the newly merged agency? What would their authority look like—not just in the current administration, but under future administrations as well? These are the types of questions that have gun-rights organizations on edge, as they fear the creation of an agency with even more resources and power to infringe on the rights of law-abiding Americans.

In addition to merging the two agencies, the plan calls for the consolidation of policy offices in Washington and the elimination of certain field offices working on issues like antitrust and environmental regulations. Most attorneys in the tax division, as well as employees handling public corruption cases, would be reassigned to U.S. attorneys’ offices. This reorganization might reduce some bureaucratic overlap, but it also raises concerns about the kind of federal agency that would emerge. For gun owners, the fear is that it would further embolden the ATF to go after lawful gun owners without the level of oversight or accountability that currently exists.

Interestingly, the proposed merger is something that has drawn unusual bipartisan agreement—if only temporarily. While gun-rights groups are fervently opposed to the merger, they may have found unlikely allies in groups that typically oppose them, such as anti-gun organizations. Emma Brown, the executive director of Giffords—an organization known for its push for more stringent gun control—has also expressed concerns about the plan, albeit for entirely different reasons. In a statement, Brown argued that merging the ATF and DEA would “literally defund the police” by cutting resources and weakening efforts to combat illegal gun trafficking, straw purchasers, and gun dealers who break the law. Ironically, this critique from a gun-ban organization lines up with the objections of gun-rights advocates, who also fear that the merger would only make it easier for the government to target gun owners while weakening law enforcement’s ability to address real criminal activity.

What’s important here is that the proposed merger would require congressional approval, meaning that the final decision rests in the hands of elected representatives. This could set the stage for a heated debate in Congress, as both pro-gun and anti-gun groups will likely mobilize in response to the potential ramifications of the merger. Will Congress give the green light to a new super-agency with a huge budget, expanded powers, and reduced oversight? Or will they recognize the danger of such a proposal and fight back to protect the rights of law-abiding gun owners?

As it stands, it’s clear that the proposal to merge the ATF and DEA is more than just a bureaucratic reshuffling—it’s a fight over the future of gun rights in America. Gun owners, their advocates, and lawmakers will need to carefully consider the impact of such a merger before giving it their approval. With so much at stake, it’s unlikely that the debate over this proposal will be resolved quickly. But for now, it’s clear that this is one of the most significant battles for the Second Amendment that we’ve seen in recent years. Whether this plan succeeds or fails will have lasting implications for gun rights across the nation.

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