Robert Cekada, the newly confirmed director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), wants to refocus the agency’s efforts on fighting violent crime rather than regulating legal gun ownership.
“We should be focusing on the criminals, not each other,” Cekada told the Subcommittee on Federal Law Enforcement of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Thursday.
Cekada was called to testify before the subcommittee on how the agency would handle sensitive data related to gun owners, why the agency has proposed 34 new rules, and whether it has an illegal firearms registry.
Democrats on the subcommittee criticized Cekada’s appointment, saying it indicated that President Donald Trump’s administration has been “captured” by the firearms industry….