The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is no longer responsible for vetting convicted felons who want to buy firearms — it’s now under a different arm of the Justice Department (DOJ).
That’s because of an interim final ruling from Attorney General Pam Bondi (R). Bondi cited a decades-old law that left the ATF “unable to effectuate its regulatory authority to act on individual applications due to an identical appropriations rider enacted annually,” according to the ruling.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) isn't happy with the DOJ’s plan — or lack thereof — for doing it.
The ATF used to consider felons’ requests for guns on a case-by-case basis. Now, according to Blumenthal, the DOJ will use an algorithm to make the decision.
“We should be assessing on an individualized basis whether a person will be dangerous with a firearm,” Blumenthal said. “Not a blanket, wholesale restoration of gun rights to everyone convicted of felonies, no matter whether dangerous or not, no matter whether the crime involved violence or not.”
It’s unclear what standards the applicants will have to meet to be eligible or what part of the DOJ will ultimately be responsible for administering the program.
But Blumenthal said the move could put guns in the hands of people who shouldn't have them.
“24 million convicted felons, many of them of dangerous crimes involving violence, involving domestic abuse, involving actual damage and harm to individuals … will potentially automatically have all of their gun rights restored,” Blumenthal said.
The public has 90 days to comment on the move before the department issues a final ruling, and more than 1,000 comments have already been submitted.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) celebrated the move.
“The NRA commends the Trump administration for taking this decisive action to protect the right to keep and bear arms and looks forward to filing its own comment in support of the interim final rule,” a statement on their website read.
