Rep. Eric Burleson (R-Missouri) wants to abolish the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and plans to introduce a bill that would do just that.
“The ATF is a disaster,” Burlison, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, told Fox News Digital on Thursday. “For decades, the ATF has been a disaster agency” and “violates the Second Amendment. ” he added.
He suggested states should be allowed to handle their own problems without federal intervention.
“There are very few ATF personnel,” he said, accusing the agency of “recruiting or recruiting.” [local] A law enforcement agency to enforce laws not passed by the state legislature.
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Left: Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Missouri) leaves the House Republican Conference at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington, DC, on January 25, 2023. Right: The letters “ATF” are seen on a Department of Justice ATF Explosive Fire Investigation Vehicle at the Marine Corps Air Station Air Show in San Diego, Calif., Sept. 28. (Getty Images)
He plans to introduce a proposal in 2023 that was previously proposed by then-Rep. Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida.
Mr. Burleson, a freshman who took office last year, was one of the Republicans who joined Mr. Gates' bill as a co-sponsor.
Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona, Rep. Mary Miller of Illinois, Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Rep. Cory Mills of Florida, Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia, and Rep. Mike Collins of Alabama. Also participating were Congressman Barry Moore of Kentucky, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, and Bob Good of Virginia. Co-sponsors, according to congress.gov.
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A vest worn by a special agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is seen during a training session near San Marcos, Texas, on August 19, 2010. (Michael Paulsen/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to ATF for comment on Friday.
“ATF provides tremendous benefits to the American people by fighting violent crime every day,” ATF spokeswoman Cristina Mastropasqua said in an emailed statement.
Burleson also believes the Department of Education and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should be abolished.
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ATF seal (Ted Soki/Corbis via Getty Images)
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“The EPA is enacting one-size-fits-all rules that apply across the country,” he said, “and they're doing more harm than good.”
