The Trump administration is acknowledging the significance and influence of individual content makers who lie outside the purview of traditional mainstream media by being more transparent, open, and accessible for interviews and comment.
On July 5, outspoken Second Amendment rights advocate Jared Yanis (also the host of popular YouTube channel Guns & Gadgets) published his sit-down interview with newly appointed ATF Director Robert Cekada and ATF Chief Counsel Robert Leider.
“I appreciate Director Cekada and the ATF leadership for their willingness to engage directly with voices from the Second Amendment community,” Mr. Yanis told News2A, adding, “Open dialogue doesn’t require agreement, but it does create an opportunity for greater transparency and a better-informed public.”
Indeed, most gun owners find themselves disagreeing with the ATF on nearly every subject, from the “rules” it enforces by law to even its very existence.
The 18-minute interview largely addressed the controversial pistol brace rule, pushed under the previous administration, a rule that Director Cekada said, “…didn’t have the effect that helped us actually reduce violent crime.”
While the exchange was fairly transparent and open, listeners were overwhelmingly critical of the ATF spokesman’s responses, with some calling it rambling and noting the lack of clear, concise answers (the YouTube video has nearly 1,400 comments and over 68,000 views at the time of publishing this article).
Director Cekada opened with an anecdote about his own history of both building AR-style firearms and being on the enforcement side as a field agent, even admitting to the ridiculous nature of the ATF’s prohibition of “shouldering” a braced pistol – something he did at a gun show and was chided for.
Many were critical of the overall exchange and the director’s seeming inability to provide clarity on the subject at hand. After lengthy attempts to respond to Mr. Yanis’ questions, he summarized, “…big picture, uh, we are just not able to clarify this decision further than what it is…”
Listeners were also critical of the fact that the director admitted the ineffectiveness and confusion surrounding the rule (and its relation to the NFA) while simultaneously stating, “we’re going to abide by the law.” Yet, the ATF itself has created numerous “rules” that fall outside the purview of the single law-making body that has the authority to define and regulate firearms: Congress. Though it has rescinded some rules, the overstep of administrative rule-making is easily abused by anti-gun administrations, as history has proven, and will likely occur again.
While the 2A community remains skeptical, it is clear that the ATF leadership currently has a very different posture from that of previous administrations. It may be a stretch to assert that the agency is pro-gun, but it is less hostile and is attempting to course-correct. The Second Amendment community at large will be looking for a pattern of actions over the coming months to support the claims and promises by the administration.
Cekada was confirmed as director in April, and simultaneously rolled out what the ATF billed as its “Most comprehensive reform package in history.” The package included “34 clear, common-sense regulations that rescind, modernize, or clarify language within the National Firearms Act, the Gun Control Act, and more,” according to Cekada.
