In a long-awaited move to clean house at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Attorney General Pam Bondi fired ATF Chief Counsel Pamela Hicks on Thursday, February 20, 2025.
The termination was part of President Donald Trump’s broader effort to purge Biden-era officials and reset federal agencies that have long been accused of overreach and abuse of power.
Hicks, who served in the Department of Justice for nearly 28 years, including three years as ATF Chief Counsel, announced his/her departure in a LinkedIn post.
“Earlier today, I was served official notice from the Attorney General of the United States that I was being removed from my position as the Chief Counsel of ATF and my employment with the Department of Justice terminated,” Hicks wrote.
She thanked her colleagues for their friendship and partnership but did not provide any further details about the reason for her removal.
The Fall of a Key Biden-Era Enforcer
Pro-Second Amendment groups and gun rights advocates were quick to celebrate Hicks’ departure, viewing it as a necessary step in dismantling the ATF’s aggressive anti-gun policies under the previous administration. Gun Owners of America (GOA) noted that Hicks “oversaw the enforcement of every Biden infringement of the Second Amendment since taking the position in 2021.”
During Hicks’ tenure, the ATF faced widespread criticism for its handling of regulatory decisions, including the infamous flip-flopping on pistol braces, secretive rule-making, and heavy-handed enforcement tactics that many viewed as unconstitutional. Under her watch, ATF policies became a nightmare for gun owners, manufacturers, and retailers, with shifting legal interpretations that left the firearms community in a state of uncertainty.
Trump’s DOJ Cleans House
Hicks’ termination follows the resignation of the FBI’s General Counsel earlier this month and is part of a wider effort by the Trump administration to remove Biden-era appointees and career bureaucrats who were instrumental in implementing policies hostile to the Second Amendment. In a social media post earlier this week, Trump made his position clear:
“Over the past four years, the Department of Justice has been politicized like never before. Therefore, I have instructed the termination of ALL remaining ‘Biden Era’ U.S. Attorneys. We must ‘clean house’ IMMEDIATELY, and restore confidence. America’s Golden Age must have a fair Justice System — THAT BEGINS TODAY!”
Pamela Hicks getting booted from the ATF, around the same time Brandon Herrera @TheAKGuy is spotted in DC?…
Coincidence?… ^.-.^ pic.twitter.com/Wv6CLEau5B
— BeuwenDragon (@BeuwenDragon) February 20, 2025
Gun Control Groups Panic
Predictably, gun control organizations are in full meltdown mode. The Brady Campaign quickly issued a statement condemning the firing, calling it “chilling” and accusing the Trump administration of bowing to the gun lobby.
“With this sudden removal at the federal agency charged with preventing gun trafficking and overseeing the gun industry, we are all at greater risk,” said Brady President Kris Brown.
This reaction highlights just how much anti-gun groups relied on ATF bureaucrats like Hicks to push their agenda outside the legislative process. Without a willing enforcer at the helm of ATF’s legal team, their ability to impose new restrictions through executive actions is now significantly weakened.
What’s Next for the ATF?
With Hicks out and ATF Director Steven Dettelbach already gone, the agency is in a state of upheaval. A new ATF Director and chief counsel are expected to be appointed soon, likely signaling a shift toward a more restrained ATF that adheres to the Constitution rather than working to undermine it.
For gun owners, Hicks’ removal is a major victory—but just one battle in the larger war against bureaucratic overreach. With thousands more entrenched career bureaucrats still working to undermine gun rights from within the federal government, Trump’s “house cleaning” is far from over.
One down, 1,000’s more to go.
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“Hicks, who served in the Department of Justice for nearly 28 years, including three years as ATF Chief Counsel, announced his/her departure in a LinkedIn post.”
What is a “his/her”????
This is so sweet……hope she cant find work and has to beg on a street corner….I know wishful thinking …but still hyenas kill and eat their own
Ran over by the Trump Train, Get on Board, or get left. Winning!!
Promises made, promises kept!!!
MAGA
Everything that comes out of President Trumps WH is wonderful news for our country,and it will only get better. I wonder if the liberal socialist trash is feeling the same as I did having to go through four years of that squinty eyed, limp brained POS who tried his damnest to destroy our republic? I sure hope they are!
From a retired Commissioned Officer of the Federal Government. You take an oath of office and swear/affirm to support and defend the Constitution. If you fail to do so you are fired. Fired at the very least but fired is the first step. Read your oath. Read the Constitution. The just cause of the termination should be clear to any he/she who is not operating under strong delusion.