White House ATF Budget Proposal
BY Herschel Smith
6 days, 1 hour ago
If enacted, the cuts would force the agency to slash hundreds or more jobs, two of the sources said, in addition to the nearly 600 people who have already accepted the government’s deferred resignation option.
The agency employs about 5,300, about half of whom are special agents, according to public records. It has been unable to fill about 150 slots for special agents due to budget cuts in 2024, forcing it to cancel its incoming agent classes, two of the sources said.
Well, it’s a start. Why don’t we send the federal Marshals over to their officers and find and destroy the illegal firearms registration lists they have? And then terminate the bureau completely?
On May 7, 2025 at 12:57 pm, Don W Curton said:
I’ve long maintained that we should designate one (and only one) federal law enforcement group to carry weapons and effect arrests. That should be the federal Marshalls. Every other agency (ATF, FBI, IRS, etc.) would do the necessary investigatory steps and then file a request for the Marshalls to conduct an arrest. The Marshalls would first perform a second review of the data to determine if an arrest is justified, then perform the arrest if needed.
During the actual field operation, no other agency personnel would be allowed – only Marshalls and any local LE personnel. After the arrests are made and the scene secured, then other agency personnel would be permitted to search for additional evidence. Unarmed, of course.
This would eliminate ~90% of the gung-ho BS that led to Waco, Ruby Ridge, etc. and help to re-establish trust in the govt. The ATF would go back to a simple taxing authority with minor investigation duties and no field operatives, if not completely eliminated.