Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner has just reintroduced legislation to disband the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), folding their duties into other federal law enforcement agencies and ending a national nightmare.

Today, Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner reintroduced the ATF Elimination Act, legislation that would dissolve the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and merge its exclusive duties into existing federal agencies.

Additionally, the Act calls for an immediate hiring freeze at the agency and requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to eliminate and reduce duplicative functions and waste, as well as report to Congress with a detailed plan on how the transition will take place. Further, it would transfer enforcement of firearms, explosives and arson laws to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and illegal diversion of alcohol and tobacco products would be transferred to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).

Under this bill, the DEA and FBI would be required to submit to Congress a plan for winding down the affairs of the ATF after no more than 180 days, and field offices, along with other buildings and assets of the ATF, would be transferred to the FBI. It would have one year to report excess property to the General Services Administration (GSA).

Congressman Sensenbrenner: “Despite our country being trillions of dollars in debt, government spending continues to rise. Common sense budgeting solutions are necessary, and the ATF Elimination Act is one measure we can take to reduce spending, redundancy, and practice responsible governance. The ATF is a scandal-ridden, largely duplicative agency that has been branded by failure and lacks a clear mission. It is plagued by backlogs, funding gaps, hiring challenges, and a lack of leadership. These facts make it a logical place to begin draining the swamp and acting in the best interest of the American taxpayer.”

“F Troop” has long been the red-headed stepchild of federal law enforcement, passed around from Treasury, to Justice, back to Treasury, and finally back to Justice. The ATF has been routinely accused of incompetence, abusive prosecution,  corruption, and has been responsible for a number of major controversies, including the Ruby Ridge siege, the Branch Davidian siege, and the smuggling of weapons to the Sinaloa drug cartel under Operation Fast and Furious and other alleged gun-running operations in other states that have never been adequately investigated.