ATF Director Says Weapons Ban Is Up to Congress

In an interview with The Washington Post on April 3, the Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Steven Dettelbach, stated that if certain firearms are to be banned, it will have to be done by Congress’s approval.

He also denied the ATF’s responsibility for the ongoing controversy over pistol braces.

“I’m a member of the administration; I agree with the president, [and] the attorney general. It will be up to Congress, of course, as the president has said, to decide whether to act on (a weapons ban),” said Dettelbach.

The issue of an “assault weapons” ban came up in a discussion on violent crime. Post reporter Leigh Ann Caldwell showed an animation of a bullet’s impact on a human body and a video clip where a minister from Jackson, Mississippi, explained purchasing an AR-15 rifle to defend his community from racist extremism.

Congress will decide on any gun ban, according to Dettelbach. However, the ATF is willing to offer any technical expertise or information necessary.

Caldwell also pointed out that Dettelbach is the first Senate-confirmed ATF director since 2015, which can be perceived as an ongoing effort by Congressional Republicans to weaken the agency. However, Dettelbach mentioned their commitment to their primary mission and reiterated no pressure from any side of the gun debate.

Regarding the criminal proceedings involving former President Donald Trump, Caldwell asked if the ATF would play a role in quelling any anticipated violence, given that New York police are getting ready for potential violent demonstrations. Dettelbach replied that the ATF currently has no official role, but they would provide support in any investigation.

The discussion on gun violence included pistol braces, which the ATF had a recent rule on that effectively banned the use of these devices that were designed to help disabled shooters fire large-format pistols that use rifle-caliber bullets. Pistol brace owners must either destroy or register the devices with the government by May’s end.

Despite years of back-and-forth arguments between the ATF and pistol brace owners, the agency claims that the braces do not turn pistols into short-barrel rifles.