While the Trump Administration has maintained a decidedly pro-gun posture since the president took office in January, recent statements by embattled FBI Director Kash Patel have caused worry among some gun-rights advocates.
First reported by The Reload, when appearing before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee for an oversight hearing, Patel said that he believed a ban on so-called “assault weapons,” actually common semi-auto rifles legally owned by millions of Americans and used mostly for lawful purposes, could stop some killings.
“I think there are instances on this legislation that could prevent future attacks, but I’m not going to weigh into the creation of legislation,” Patel said during an exchanges with U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, who advocates for all manners of anti-gun legislation.
The statement came during a discussion of the August 27 Annunciation Church Shooting in which a transgender man fired into the church windows as children in the associated school celebrated their first Mass of the school year. The attacker used a rifle, shotgun and pistol during the attack, but gun-ban advocates subsequently called for a ban only on “assault weapons.”
“Minnesota has suffered untold tragedy in these last few months, and whatever creativity we can use to eliminate even just one shooting, one horrific death, I am in favor of engaging with Congress fully to do,” Patel told Sen. Klobuchar. “I don’t have the answers. I don’t know what will eliminate it in its entirety, but I’m willing to engage and explore new ways with you, senator.”
Patel stopped short of endorsing a ban or endorsing legislation banning the firearms.
Patel’s comments come at the same time the Trump Department of Justice (DOJ) is preparing to argue against Illinois’ “assault weapons” ban in federal court. In the cases Barnett v. Raoul, the DOJ filed an amicus brief with the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, not in support of the plaintiff’s suing to have the ban overturned, and also will present oral arguments opposing the ban.
“Three years ago, the Supreme Court issued a landmark decision meant to break a habit developed by some States of treating the Second Amendment as ‘a second-class right, subject to an entirely different body of rules than the other’ constitutional rights,” the DOJ brief stated. “Regrettably, not every State got the message. Just a few months after Bruen, Illinois outlawed some of the most commonly used rifles and magazines in America via a so-called ‘assault weapons’ ban. In doing so, Illinois violated the Supreme Court’s clear directive that States cannot prohibit arms that are ‘in common use’ by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes.”
In the past, Patel, who headed up the ATF for a brief period, was critical of a previous ATF director for supporting a gun-control scheme during the Biden Administration.
“The director of the ATF basically came out the other day and said he’s all for a bumpstock ban,” Patel said at a 2024 Gun Owners of America (GOA) conference. “This is a political appointee in Washington, DC, who’s supposed to be in charge of our constitutional rights. This guy wants to take it away.”
Ultimately, it’s anybody’s guess whether Patel’s comments will amount to anything of substance. In fact, many were already calling for his firing following the Charlie Kirk assassination investigation. Perhaps his statements about “assault weapons” will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
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