WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) joined U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) and 28 of their Senate Republican colleagues today to send a letter to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Deputy Director Marvin Richardson urging him to align the agency with President Trump’s Second Amendment priorities as laid out in his recent Executive Order.

Graham and his colleagues called on Director Richardson to identify and rescind former President Biden’s unlawful firearms regulations, including the “Engaged in the Business” rule, pistol brace rule, so-called “ghost gun” rule, and “zero tolerance” policy under which ATF has revoked the licenses of federal firearm licensees (FFLs) over minor bookkeeping violations.

The Senators wrote, “On Friday, February 7, 2025, President Donald J. Trump took decisive action to reaffirm law-abiding Americans’ Second Amendment rights in issuing his Executive Order, Protecting Second Amendment Rights.  We urge you to immediately align ATF’s rules and policies with the President’s strong support for the Second Amendment.”

“Under former President Joe Biden, ATF adopted numerous policies and rules that infringed upon Americans’ Second Amendment protections. President Trump’s Executive Order directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to review and develop a plan of action regarding President Biden’s unlawful firearms regulations. We ask that you work with the Attorney General to quickly identify and rescind these policies.”

Along with Graham and Cornyn, the letter was signed by Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) and U.S. Senators Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina), John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi), Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia), Jim Justice (R-W Virginia), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming), Steve Daines (R-Montana), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), James Lankford (R-Oklahoma), John Hoeven (R-North Dakota), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), Rick Scott (R-Florida), Ted Budd (R-North Carolina), Bill Hagerty (R-Tennessee) Tim Sheehy (R-Montana), Pete Ricketts (R-Nebraska), Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), Todd Young (R-Indiana), Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma), Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska), Jim Banks (R-Indiana) and Jerry Moran (R-Kansas).

The full text of the letter is available here.

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