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The Trump administration on Wednesday announced a new set of proposed and finalized gun regulations aimed at easing compliance requirements for gun owners and firearms businesses.
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Director Robert Cekada outlined the changes during a news conference, describing the package as a major overhaul of federal firearms rules issued by the DOJ and ATF.
Officials said the package includes 34 notices of proposed and final rulemaking and follows a broader regulatory review ordered earlier in Trump’s second term. Blanche said the changes are intended to simplify compliance and reduce regulatory burdens.
“[The package] reduces unnecessary burdens on lawful gunowners and licensed businesses, it eliminates ambiguity and it helps prevent the kind of confusion that, in the past, and not that distant past, led to inconsistent and sometimes unfair enforcement,” he said.
He added that the measures align with recent Supreme Court rulings and aim to make federal firearms guidelines easier to understand.
“The Second Amendment is not a second-class right,” Blanche said. “This Department of Justice is ending the weaponization of federal authority against law-abiding gun owners. We will continue to vigorously defend their rights as the Constitution demands.”
The regulatory overhaul stems from an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in February 2025, directing a comprehensive review of federal firearms policies. The order called for identifying and eliminating what the administration described as unnecessary restrictions on gun ownership.
Following the directive, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi established a task force to examine prior regulations and recommend changes.
Administration officials said the review focused in part on enforcement practices affecting federally licensed firearms dealers, noting a rise in compliance actions in recent years. They also pointed to broader concerns within the firearms industry, including access to financial services.
In addition to regulatory changes, President Trump previously withdrew the United States from the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty and directed agencies to revise certain legal definitions related to firearm eligibility.
