FBI Director Kash Patel to take over ATF, reports say

Kash Patel, who was sworn in as FBI director last week, is expected to be named the acting head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, a Justice Department official told The Associated Press.

If he’s sworn in as head of the ATF next week as expected, that would put Patel in charge of two of the Justice Department's largest agencies. It’s an unusual arrangement that raises questions about the future of the bureau that’s long been criticized by conservatives.

As FBI director, Patel is at the top of America’s premier federal law enforcement agency despite concerns from Democrats over his qualifications and the prospect that he will do President Donald Trump's bidding. He was confirmed by the Senate in a 51-49 vote – GOP Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski voted against him. 

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What is the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives? 

The backstory:

ATF is a separate agency with about 5,500 employees and is responsible for enforcing the nation's laws around firearms, explosives and arson. Among other things, it's in charge of licensing federal firearms dealers, tracing guns used in crimes and analyzing intelligence in shooting investigations.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi swears in the new Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel as his girlfriend Alexis Wilkins holds the Bhagavad Gita in the Indian Treaty Room in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on February 21, 2025

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The last confirmed ATF director was Steve Dettelbach, a former federal prosecutor, who led the agency from July 2022 until last month. He was the first confirmed director since 2015 as both Republican and Democratic administrations failed to get nominees through the politically fraught process.

What they're saying:

Conservatives have long railed against ATF over its role in regulating firearms and have suggested shuttering the agency. Under the Biden administration, the ATF advanced new regulations aimed at cracking down on ghost guns and requiring thousands more firearms dealers to run background checks on buyers at gun shows or other places outside brick-and-mortar stores.

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Gun Owners of America, a gun rights group, called his confirmation as FBI director "a major victory for gun owners and constitutional rights advocates nationwide."

In an executive order earlier this month, Trump directed the attorney general to review all actions taken by the Biden administration around firearms "to assess any ongoing infringements of the Second Amendment rights of our citizens."

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After the directive, Attorney General Pam Bondi fired the ATF's top lawyer. Bondi said in a Fox News interview Friday that she fired chief counsel Pamela Hicks because the agency was "targeting gun owners."

Why are there concerns about Patel leading the ATF? 

The other side:

Gun safety groups have raised alarm about putting Patel in charge of the FBI, with gun control group Brady calling him a "known gun rights extremist."