Kash Patel Should Clean House at the ATF

BREAKING

President Trump has asked Kash Patel to be acting director of the ATF. Kash is a true constitutionalist and is fiercely pro-gun. pic.twitter.com/HzL828GZji

— Gun Owners of America (@GunOwners) February 23, 2025

With Kash Patel now in the position of Acting Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the agency is in for a shake-up.

One thing that Patel can do is get rid of problem employees who have gone out of their way to infringe on the rights of Americans to keep and bear arms. This purge has already started with the firing of the ATF’s Chief Council, Pam Hicks. Hicks was a rabid anti-gun attorney that chose to defend very constitutionally dubious rules. Although Hicks was a good first step, without removing other problem members, nothing will change.

The first person that Patel should remove from the Bureau is the ATF’s Deputy Director, Marvin Richardson. Mr. Richardson has been behind some of the ATF’s most controversial rules. He was the driving force behind the reclassification of pistols equipped with braces. Mr. Richardson proposed reclassifying pistols with braces and unfinished firearms frames during a 2020 meeting with the Biden transition team without President Trump’s knowledge.

Even before the ATF’s pistol brace rule, Richardson tried to shut down the brace industry. At his direction, ATF’s enforcement side issued cease and desist letters to Q, LLC, regarding its Honey Badger pistol, which was equipped with an SB Tactical brace. The ATF claimed that the Honey Badger was a short-barreled rifle (SBR). ATF’s enforcement side issued the letters after the Trump Justice Department (DOJ) had ordered ATF’s industry side not to move on braces. And Q, LLC wasn’t the only company to receive a letter; multiple companies producing braced pistols also received them. But eventually, the ATF was forced to back down.

The only thing that stopped Richardson from going after privately manufactured firearms (PMF) and pistol braces during Trump’s first term was the lack of “political capital.” He stated that he hoped that would change once Biden was sworn in. Shortly after Biden was sworn in, he started attacking PMFs and pistol braces. With him still in a leadership position at the ATF, it allows the anti-gun side to have an “in” at the Bureau.

Mr. Patel should look at Matthew Varisco. Mr. Varisco is the ATF Assistant Director for the Office of Field Operations. When he worked out of the Philadelphia Field Office, he pushed the targeting of companies selling firearms precursor parts, including issuing a cease-and-desist letter to JSD Supply. This action was taken before the rule change of pistol frames. He pioneered the idea of firearms “structuring.” According to Varisco, if someone buys firearms parts from multiple companies to build a working firearm, that is “structuring.” This use of the term was the first time it was used outside banking crimes. He claimed that the possibility of “structuring” meant that all 80% firearm frames needed to be treated like completed guns. Mr. Varisco’s idea of “structuring” made it into the final rule.

Office of Enforcement Programs and Services Assistant Director Megan Bennett should also be on the chopping block. Under Ms. Bennett’s leadership, the department tried to enforce the pistol brace rule even after enforcement of the rule was blocked in federal court. The department claimed that even though the rule was blocked, they could still interpret the federal statute however they liked, considering all pistols equipped with braces as short-barreled rifles (SBR). Eventually, the ATF was forced to back down.

Kash Patel needs to fire Lisa T. Boykin once and for all. Ms. Boykin was the head of DEI at the ATF before her title was changed to “Senior Executive.” This move was to sidestep President Trump’s Executive Order ending all DEI positions. Trump specifically said that government agencies should not hide DEI employees. Sources at the ATF have said she was placed on administrative leave. She is still listed on the ATF’s leadership page. Mr. Patel should consider parting ways with Ms. Boykin permanently.

Another group of employees that needs to be examined on a case-by-case basis is the industry operation investigators (IOI). Some of these IOIs use their position to put gun shops out of business, although others are not anti-gun. Mr. Patel should order the ATF to review all actions by these IOIs to determine if they are abusing their position to act out a political agenda.

These are just a few of the many employees that Kash Patel should take a hard look at and decide whether they should still have a job inside the ATF. Many more are not known to the public and should be forced into new careers.

About John Crump

Mr. Crump is an NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. John has written about firearms, interviewed people from all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons, follow him on X at @crumpyss, or at www.crumpy.com.