Trump Administration Rolls Back Dozens of Gun Regulations
NYT > U.S. > Politics — 2026-07-05 15:37:00 — www.nytimes.com
Trump Administration Rolls Back Gun Regulations, Sparking Public Safety Concerns
President Trump has positioned himself as a staunch advocate for gun rights, repeatedly vowing to be “the best friend gun owners have ever had in the White House.” In line with this stance, the Trump administration is dismantling more than three dozen firearms regulations, including abandoning a crackdown on illegal sales, restoring gun rights to some people with mental illness, and loosening oversight of private weapons transactions.
Trump’s Commitment to Gun Rights
Shortly after taking office, Trump signed an executive order instructing the attorney general to scrutinize what he described as “ongoing infringements of the Second Amendment rights of our citizens.” The administration’s policies, according to a White House official, reflect Trump’s commitment to ensuring Americans can exercise their Second Amendment rights. The official accused the Biden administration of bypassing Congress and using the regulatory process to restrict gun rights.
Major Regulatory Changes
The administration has already eliminated key policies, such as the “zero-tolerance” approach toward gun dealers who repeatedly broke the law. This policy previously allowed inspectors to revoke licenses from dealers who falsified records, skipped background checks, or sold guns to prohibited buyers. Under Trump, the threshold for revoking a dealer’s license has been raised, and the new standards are expected to significantly reduce the number of licenses revoked.
Other changes include:
- Extending gun rights to buyers previously restricted due to mental illness or inability to manage their finances.
- Ending extra scrutiny of stabilizing braces, accessories linked to mass shootings.
- Challenging state and local bans on semiautomatic rifles and certain handguns.
- Proposing to reinstate the so-called gun show loophole, allowing some private sales without background checks.
Critics Warn of Public Safety Risks
Critics, including gun control advocates and former ATF officials, argue that these moves undermine public safety and weaken the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The administration’s own analyses acknowledge that allowing more people with a history of mental illness to purchase firearms could increase the risk of mass casualty events. Additionally, loosening regulations on stabilizing braces is expected to create “dangerous, easily concealed weapons” and pose a greater public safety problem.
Broader Impact Across Government
The regulatory rollback extends beyond the ATF. The Veterans Affairs Department has removed restrictions on veterans requiring fiduciaries from buying firearms, and the Health and Human Services Department has slashed funding for gun violence prevention research. The U.S. Postal Service is considering allowing handguns to be shipped through the mail, reversing a law nearly a century old.
Conclusion
President Trump’s administration is aggressively pursuing an agenda to expand gun rights, often at the expense of regulations designed to prevent illegal sales and keep firearms out of dangerous hands. While Trump and his supporters frame these changes as a restoration of constitutional rights, critics warn that the rapid rollback of safeguards could have serious consequences for public safety, potentially leading to an increase in violent crime and undermining efforts to reduce gun violence in the United States.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/05/us/politics/trump-gun-rights-laws.html