CONGRESSMAN JOE MORELLE PRESSES FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ON GUN SAFETY FAILURES

(Washington, D.C.)—Today, Congressman Joe Morelle led his House Democratic colleagues in calling on the Department of Justice (DOJ), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to explain sweeping agent reassignments and staff reductions that weaken federal efforts to combat gun violence. In a letter to agency leadership, Morelle and his colleagues warned that diverting personnel away from firearms oversight and criminal investigations “greatly diminishes public safety” and risks emboldening gun traffickers and rogue dealers.

“These actions by the DOJ come at a time when Americans are more concerned than ever with gun violence,” said Congressman Joe Morelle. “ATF reportedly no longer has the staff to conduct investigations and is failing to hold gun dealers accountable for willfully and egregiously breaking the law, and in doing so, they have further emboldened reckless, irresponsible, and outright criminal business practices to the detriment of public safety.”

“The Trump administration is decimating the ATF — making it nearly impossible for the Bureau to adequately combat gun trafficking, as well as regulate gun dealers to ensure they don’t fuel America’s gun violence public health crisis," said Mark Collins, director of federal policy at Brady. "In addition to the reassignment of their special agents away from gun crime investigations, personnel depletion among their compliance investigators coupled with a policy shift towards lax enforcement have left rogue gun dealers to act with impunity. The Trump administration should be focused on protecting Americans from gun violence, not encouraging gun industry lawbreakers to rake in profits at the expense of human lives. Brady is grateful to Rep. Morelle and his colleagues for their continued commitment to ending the gun violence epidemic and for their efforts to hold Trump and his appointees accountable." 

The lawmakers’ letter cites reports that ATF has already lost one in seven of its Industry Operations Investigators—staff responsible for inspecting federal firearms licenses—and could lose as many as 550 more if proposed budget cuts are fully implemented.

At the same time, ATF is reportedly revoking nearly 90% fewer gun dealer licenses for serious violations compared to last year. Meanwhile, the agency has reassigned 80% of its special agents to immigration enforcement duties. Additionally, the FBI has redirected nearly a quarter of its agents away from criminal cases, with almost half of agents in the largest field offices shifted to immigration work.

The letter calls on the Trump administration to provide detailed information on firearm license revocations, compliance inspections, and criminal referrals since the start of 2025, as well as explanations for the recent reassignments of agents away from gun crime prevention and other possible changes resulting from President Trump’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget. The lawmakers argue that transparency and accountability are essential to ensuring the federal government fulfills its obligation to protect communities from gun violence.                                                                                          

“Congress has a duty to conduct oversight when policies threaten public safety,” continued Congressman Morelle. “Gun violence prevention isn’t a partisan issue—it’s about protecting our families and neighborhoods. Tax dollars should be used to faithfully improve community safety, not serve a political agenda.”

A full copy of the letter is available here.

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