In Washington, a new leadership shift has occurred as Kash Patel was officially sworn in on Monday, stepping into the role of acting chief of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). This development comes soon after Patel was appointed as the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and he now oversees two significant Justice Department agencies, according to sources familiar with the situation.
The ceremony took place at ATF headquarters mere days after Patel assumed the FBI directorship. The specifics about whether President Donald Trump will formally nominate Patel for the permanent ATF position remain unclear, as the administration has been a long-standing critic of the agency. Requests for comment from officials within the Justice Department and the White House have so far gone unanswered.
Patel steps into a leadership role over approximately 5,500 ATF employees, who are tasked with upholding national laws concerning firearms, explosives, and arson. His responsibilities include overseeing the licensing of federal firearms dealers, tracing firearms used in criminal activities, and analyzing intelligence related to shooting incidents.
Concerns were voiced by Democrats over Patel’s appointment as FBI director, pointing to his limited management experience compared to previous directors and citing his history of controversial statements. Among these statements were criticisms of investigators as “government gangsters” during probes into President Trump.
Gun safety advocates highlighted Patel’s past support for the Gun Owners of America, a pro-gun rights organization advocating for the ATF’s disbandment. In a social media statement, the group praised Patel as a “patriot” who steadfastly supports the Second Amendment, emphasizing that the right to bear arms “SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED.”
During a Gun Owners of America event last year, Patel addressed the audience, sharing, “My mission aligns with yours. We need to spread it across America and utilize it to counter what I view as the most destructive endeavor in U.S. history: unelected officials infringing on our Constitutional rights and freedoms.”
The decision to appoint Patel as the acting ATF director follows a recent shake-up in the agency’s leadership when Attorney General Pam Bondi dismissed the bureau’s chief counsel. In a recent interview, Bondi explained that she had terminated Pamela Hicks, who had served with the Justice Department for over two decades, because she believed the agency was “targeting gun owners.” Hicks expressed pride in her role as ATF’s chief counsel, referring to it as the “highest honor” of her extensive career.
