Retired ATF Deputy Assistant Director Pete Forcelli, who helped blow the whistle on the Operation Fast and Furious gunwalking scandal, tells Bearing Arms the Supreme Court made the right decision in striking down the agency's ban on bump stocks, but he's still deeply concerned that the agency is going to continue to be used by the Biden administration as a way to enact new gun control laws without getting Congress involved... especially if Joe Biden gets another four years in office. 

The left likes to attack things, and the problem that I have is when the ATF is tasked by the White House or the Justice Department to attack things rather than hold the people responsible [for their crimes]. It's not an item that causes the damage. It's the person misusing that item. How many bump stocks have been used in shootings in the United States aside from Las Vegas? I don't know of any, to be honest. 

Of course, the bump stock ban was implemented under Donald Trump's watch, so the right can look for simplistic solutions as well, especially in the wake of a high-profile shooting like the Route 91 Harvest Festival murders that resulted in 60 deaths and hundreds of injuries. But the Biden administration has used the ATF to do an end-run around Congress on a regular basis; first by targeting unfinished frames and receivers, then pistol stabilizing braces, and most recently gun owners who offer to sell one or more of their firearms from their personal collection. 

Those are just the rules the agency has implemented. According to Forcelli, the White House has been demanding even more. 

The House Oversight Committee is currently investigating allegations of collusion between the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention and gun control groups like Everytown directed against gunmaker Glock. Everytown Law is aiding the city of Chicago in its lawsuit against Glock, claiming the company has intentionally designed their pistols to be "readily converted" to full-auto fire, and more than a dozen Democratic AGs have signaled their own plans to sue Glock. 

We know the White House met with Glock officials just before Chicago announced its lawsuit and were reportedly unhappy that the company said it wouldn't be making any design changes. Forcelli says, however, that the Office of Gun Violence Prevention has also been pressuring the ATF to go after Glock as well. 

I have heard from some good sources that the White House, and don't forget that the Office of Gun Violence Prevention is run by Rob Wilcox, who's formerly from Everytown. He has a lot of influence at ATF now, and I know that from a number of sources because I didn't retire from there all that long ago. One of the things they kicked around was trying to force ATF to reclassify Glocks as machine guns, because they're so easily converted, in their minds, to a machine gun through the use of a switch. And people within ATF pushed back and Dettelbach didn't bite into that fishhook and get caught on that... yet. Who knows what happens if the Biden administration has nothing to lose. 

That's not the only executive action suggested by the White House, according to Forcelli.

They also contemplated putting out a ruling to gun manufacturers stating that if you sell to government entities, then you would be prohibited from selling to the civilian markets. So, think about that for a second. ATF agents use the Glock. If Glock wanted to sign on and sell guns to the ATF or to the military, they would be prohibted from selling to the civilian market. Again, that did not happen, but these are the things that the White House is trying to push the ATF to do. It may be gently now, but once there's no worry about being re-elected maybe it's not such a gentle nudge. 

Sounds like House Oversight Chair Rep. Jim Comer has a couple of new avenues to explore the next time Dettelbach makes an appearance before the committee. 

Comer's already given the ATF director and the director of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention a deadline of June 28th to provide committee members with any and all "documents and communications between any individual at the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Everytown for Gun Safety, and Everytown Law related to 'auto sear(s)', 'Glock switches', 'machinegun conversion device' ('MCD'), and 'Chicago litigation.'" 

Based on what Forcelli tells Bearing Arms, Comer should probably expand that request to include any communications about reclassifying Glocks or other semi-automatic firearms as "machine guns", as well as any documents or emails about prohibiting gun makers from selling to civilians if they have government contracts. 

Be sure to check out the entire conversation with Pete Forcelli, which includes his take on Mexico's new president and the country's lawsuits against U.S. gunmakers and sellers, in the video window below. It's a revealing look at what's happening behind the scenes at the White House and ATF, and none of it is good news for those of us who care about our Second Amendment rights.