Well, the ATF went and did something right for once, and you can bet Everytown for Gun Safety isn't happy about it.
In late April, the ATF announced a 34-rule reform package—the biggest rollback of regulatory overreach we've seen in decades. Think about that for a second. Thirty-four rules that the agency itself decided were unnecessary or overly burdensome. That's not coming from some radical fringe group; that's the regulator admitting they'd gone too far.
How did Bloomberg's pet project react? With their usual hysteria, of course. Everytown published a piece claiming these reforms somehow "benefit the gun industry" because gun rights organizations like the NRA, SAF, NAGR, and GOA were present when Acting Director Cekada signed them.
Here's the thing those anti-freedom folks don't want you to know: those organizations represent *us*—gun owners, not gun manufacturers. They've got a long history of disagreeing with industry positions on things like magazine capacity and "smart gun" technology. We're not some monolithic corporate interest. We're your neighbors who believe in our constitutional rights.
Now, onto the meat of the changes that have them so upset:
**Direct Shipping for FFLs**: Under the new rules, licensed dealers could ship firearms directly to buyers instead of requiring an in-store visit. But here's what Everytown conveniently omits—background checks still happen. Every. Single. Transfer. You still run NICS, just like always. The only thing changing is you don't have to drive to my store during business hours if you don't want to.
**Form 4473 Updates**: The new form adds gender and marijuana use disclosure sections. That's it. No new loopholes, no easier straw purchasing.
**NICS Check Window**: The validity period extends from 30 to 60 days. This isn't about bypassing checks—it's about common sense.
The bottom line? These reforms make lawful gun buying more convenient while keeping all the safeguards in place. And that has the gun control crowd absolutely terrified.