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ATF & DEA Merger Shut Down | OHUB News
A recent, hotly debated government proposal involved merging the ATF and DEA. Featured in a DOJ proposal, this idea aims to improve efficiency but has raised concerns among gun owners. I recently covered this topic in an OHUB news article. Opposition was strong as gun rights groups like Gun Owners of America and the Firearms Policy Coalition strongly opposed it. FPC even said, “The DOJ is effectively equating peaceable American gun owners with drug cartels, turning millions of law-abiding citizens—as well as their constitutionally protected weapons—into co-equal targets of a militarized federal enforcement regime.” Not good.
Congress Casts Out Plan
There was speculation about the legality of an executive decision to merge two bureaus. Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed such an act didn’t require congressional approval. Turns out, she was wrong. A recent Guns.com article examined the Republican 2026 Commerce, Justice, Science funding bill. In the 154-page document, Republicans cut ATF’s budget by $418 million. Furthermore, only 40% of the budget will be available “unless processing times for National Firearms Act applications do not exceed 120 days in the case of paper applications and 60 days in the case of electronic applications.”
But, regarding the topic of this article: “No funds may be used to transfer the functions, missions, or activities of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to other agencies or departments.” Without funding, any plan for an ATF-DEA merger becomes irrelevant.
Activists Speak
Both the Gun Owners of America and the Second Amendment Foundation shared their excitement on X about the bill’s language. GOA announced that the House has SHUT DOWN AG Pam Bondi’s idea. Echoing this, SAF stated, “The ATF + DEA merger has been tossed by the House.”
Zooming Out
This is a victory for gun owners; a supercharged ATF with a larger policing force is not the solution. Too often, the ATF has proven to be more of a harassment to law-abiding citizens rather than a focused law enforcement agency targeting criminals. Plus, how often does the ATF deal with issues of alcohol and tobacco? This Bill does more to weaken the ATF and eliminates much of the Biden-era anti-2A agenda. Check out the sources listed below to learn more about how the bill cripples the ATF.
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Sources:
- https://appropriations.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/republicans-appropriations.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/fy26-commerce%2C-justice%2C-science%2C-and-related-agencies-bill-summary-subcommittee.pdf
- https://www.guns.com/news/2025/07/15/bill-blocks-atf-dea-merger-slashes-budget-puts-leash-on-agency
- https://www.guns.com/news/2025/07/15/bill-blocks-atf-dea-merger-slashes-budget-puts-leash-on-agency
- https://x.com/GunOwners/status/1944810665782210829
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