Let Us Not Forget the Numerous Stasi-like Tactics of ATF Director Steve Dettelbach
Steve Dettelbach, the Biden-era ATF director, made a hasty exit in January, dodging President Donald Trump’s promise to fire him.
The ATF under former president Joe Biden, led by Steve Dettelbach, went from a regulatory agency to an authoritarian regime that threw congressional oversight out the window while constantly hurting law-abiding gun owners—even murdering them in cold blood.
The spineless bureaucrat—linked to countless infringements on constitutional rights and even the murder of an innocent man—bailed before Trump could deliver his iconic “You’re fired” moment. Now, as Trump moves to dismantle the unconstitutional mess Dettelbach left behind, you can bet the former director is lying low, hoping to avoid the fallout.
The ATF under Dettelbach implemented numerous policies that turned every gun owner into a felon, shut down gun stores at record numbers, and pushed radical policy reforms that led to the murder of Brian Malinowski after a botched raid on his home.
If you’ve been keeping up with Second Amendment news—or worse, felt the ATF’s heavy hand firsthand—you already know the score. What started as a regulatory agency has morphed into an authoritarian force wielding military-style power. And now, the Left is desperately trying to rewrite the narrative, scrambling to paint Dettelbach as some kind of American hero.
Gun Grabbers Loved Dettelbach
Moms Demand Action, a spinoff of Every Town for Gun Safety, released a statement on Dettelbach praising his work reducing violent crime to a 50-year low while making communities safer through gun control initiatives.
“He displayed a true commitment to public safety as ATF Director, and his work undoubtedly made our communities safer from gun violence,” said Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action.
Anyone with an objective opinion knows these are false statements—after all, they have even been disproved by the Department of Justice.
Moreover, a recent investigation by Restoration News exposed a staggering rise in violent crime, surging 30 to 40 percent across major states across the country. Some of the most significant spikes were found in Georgia, Arizona, California, and Pennsylvania. The Left shows little concern for these facts, resorting instead to spinning narratives to push their agenda.
The actions of the ATF under Dettelbach and the Biden administration are a perfect example of federal overreach and showcase the true intention of the Left. They have no desire to reduce crime or better communities—they simply want to place a boot on the neck of American gun owners.
Let’s review the “accomplishments” of the ATF under Dettelbach and show the true misery Americans have experienced. We cannot allow leftist groups to paint Dettelbach as a hero while memory holing the horrific actions he oversaw.
Dettelbach betrayed America and the Constitution
Nothing quite sums up the atrocities of the ATF’s overreach like the cold-blooded murder of Brian Malinowski.
On a frigid March morning in Little Rock, Arkansas, ATF agents stormed the home of 53-year-old Malinowski, fatally shooting him just 28 seconds after knocking and forcing entry at 6 a.m.
Their reasoning? Malinowski, a passionate firearm collector, had legally accumulated approximately 150 firearms over three years and engaged in transactions with fellow collectors—actions the ATF alleged violated an ambiguous and outdated gun law from the 1980s.
The half-asleep Malinowski—who, startled awake, very likely believed his home was being burglarized—fired at agents, prompting them to fire back, resulting in a fatal head shot. But the situation was a mess from the start. The ATF should never have placed him in a position where he was actively defending his home from what he believed were intruders.
After all, Arkansas’s castle doctrine allows homeowners to use “a degree of force that he or she reasonably believes to be necessary” while defending themselves or others.
Due to the ATF’s failed raid, Malinowski never received his day in court and was murdered under unjustified suspicion. The event highlights the dangers of a regulatory agency that continues to rewrite its own rules and use military force to achieve its goals.
Under Dettelbach, the ATF also moved around Congress to restrict firearms and worked against gun dealers to shut down as many stores as possible with its “zero tolerance” policy. As a result, numerous dealers with families to take care of were put out of business for minor clerical errors and FFL revocations hit a staggering 16 year high.
(RELATED: California-Style Gun Registries Are Coming to Your State)
Reduce or Remove the ATF
The ATF does serve a legitimate purpose in society—for example, combating cartel activity and overseeing explosive devices. However, the ATF should never interfere in the lives of Americans who have broken no laws, nor should it possess the authority to unilaterally write its own rules.
As President Trump works to implement transformative changes across America, scaling back the ATF must become a top priority for his administration. Leftist overreach, especially when enforced with the threat of violence, poses a danger to every citizen's safety and freedom.
In an ideal world, the ATF wouldn’t wield power—it would just be a great name for a roadside gas station.
