Justice, ATF roll back regulations in reform initiative that is pro-Second Amendment

By SUZANNE DOWNING

April 29, 2026 – The US Department of Justice and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on April 29, 2026, announced a huge package of 34 proposed and final rule changes aimed at rolling back prior restrictions and refocusing enforcement priorities.

It’s the most expansive rewrite of federal firearms regulations in agency history.

The announcement coincided with the US Senate’s confirmation of Robert Cekada as director of the ATF, marking a leadership shift as the agency embarks on what it describes as a “New Era of Reform.”

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche joined Cekada in outlining the changes, which stem from a broader federal review ordered under Executive Order 14206, “Protecting Second Amendment Rights.”

According to the DOJ and ATF, the reforms are intended to reduce regulatory burdens on law-abiding gun owners and firearms businesses, while aligning federal rules more closely with statutory law and recent court precedents, including major Second Amendment rulings by the US Supreme Court.

For Alaska, where firearm ownership rates are among the highest in the nation and where rural access and subsistence lifestyles often intersect with gun use, the changes are likely to be welcomed. Many gun owners and dealers in the state have long argued that federal regulations disproportionately burden lawful users without effectively targeting criminals.

Among the most significant proposed and enacted changes:

• Rollback of background check expansion: The ATF has proposed repealing a 2024 rule that broadened background check requirements for certain private firearm sales and gun show transactions, a policy critics had argued effectively eliminated the so-called “gun show loophole.”
• Revisions to stabilizing brace regulations: The agency is rescinding or revising the 2023 rule that classified many pistols equipped with stabilizing braces as short-barreled rifles under the National Firearms Act, a move that had subjected owners to additional registration requirements.
• Updated definition of firearm dealers: Regulators are revisiting what it means to be “engaged in the business” of selling firearms, a key threshold that determines when a federal firearms license (FFL) is required.
• End of ‘zero tolerance’ licensing policy: The ATF is eliminating its Enhanced Regulatory Enforcement Policy, which had led to license revocations for relatively minor paperwork errors. A new Administrative Action Policy will focus instead on intentional misconduct and threats to public safety. Businesses that lost licenses under the prior policy may be eligible to reapply.
• Streamlining federal processes: Additional reforms target ATF forms, recordkeeping requirements, National Firearms Act processes, and importation rules, with the stated goal of modernizing and simplifying compliance.

Many of the changes are being issued as proposed rules and will be subject to public comment, which is typically for a 90-day period through Regulations.gov, before being finalized. Others take effect immediately.

The ATF said the package represents the first phase of a broader regulatory reset, with additional updates expected in the months ahead. The agency also pointed to non-regulatory changes already underway, including expanded industry outreach, updated firearms classification reviews, and adjustments to background check alert systems.

Supporters of the overhaul, including national firearms industry groups, praised the effort as long overdue and more consistent with constitutional protections. Critics, however, are expected to argue that rolling back prior rules could weaken safeguards designed to prevent illegal gun sales and improve traceability.

The full text of the proposed and final rules, along with instructions for public comment, is being published in the Federal Register and on the ATF’s website under its “New Era of Reform” initiative.