Over the last few months, the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) met with numerous groups – gun rights groups, gun control groups and law enforcement officials – to determine what firearm regulations the department could do away with.

The meetings were a direct result of the Trump Administration’s Executive Order, which focused on regulatory reform in order to“alleviate unnecessary regulatory burdens placed on the American people.”

According to The Trace, a leftist news site, each organization was asked to consider the following questions:

• What impact current regulations have on gun-violence prevention.
• What regulations need to be ‘repealed, replaced, or modified.’
• What regulations are outdated.

Although many are wondering what the discussions entailed, a spokesperson for the ATF declined to provide any additional details.

“Engaging in open dialogue with these professionals allows us to better understand the industries we regulate and clarify our processes and programs,” the spokesperson told The Trace.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) welcomes the discussion with the ATF.

“It is a unique opportunity to work with an administration that wants to advance the contributions of the firearms and ammunition industries to our national, state and local economies. These are discussions that would allow industry members to continue to grow their businesses and create new jobs,” Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel, said in a statement. “It is refreshing to have an administration that looks at government relations from the point of view of business and not from the point of view of a government bureaucrat.”