The newest FBI Director on Monday was officially sworn in to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Kash Patel, 45, a former federal prosecutor, Florida public defender, and senior advisor in both the intelligence community and the Pentagon, was sworn in as the ninth Director of the FBI on Feb. 21 following a 51-49 U.S. Senate confirmation. He added a second office to his resume when he was named Acting Director of the ATF this week. 

Patel on Monday was listed on ATF's leadership page as the head of the 5,000-strong organization, with former Acting Director Marvin Richardson retained as Deputy Director. 

"ATF welcomes Acting Director Kash Patel to ATF, who was sworn in and had his first visit to ATF Headquarters in Washington, D.C. today," noted the agency on social media on Monday. "We are enthusiastic to work together for a safer America!"

To illustrate where Patel's feelings on guns rest, check out this recent exchange before the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, responding to U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calf) on what is and isn't protected under the Second Amendment. 

While anti-gun activists somewhat tellingly panned the move, the trade group for the American firearms industry, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, congratulated Patel publicly on his installation as head of the country's federal gun regulatory agency. 

"President Trump nominated Kash Patel as FBI Director for his unswerving dedication to protecting the Constitution and the adherence to the rule of law. Those same traits serve him well as he carries out President Trump’s plan to reform ATF,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel. “Like the FBI, the ATF was weaponized by the previous administration. In the case of ATF, it was to carry out a radical gun control agenda. President Trump’s appointment of Acting Director Patel to lead the ATF will return the bureau to its proper role as a law enforcement agency laser focused on combatting violent crime and illegal firearms trafficking, and to act as a non-partisan regulator of the firearm industry."

The NRA also welcomed the news, calling Patel's appointment "a great first step by President Trump to reform this deeply troubled agency. For far too long, ATF has focused on how it can manipulate federal statutes to restrict the rights of law-abiding Americans. We look forward to working with Acting Director Patel to protect and expand Second Amendment freedoms."

This comes as members of Congress are pushing forward with measures to dissolve ATF over its record on gun rights and putting the agency on notice that it needs to reform.

Time will tell if the Trump administration will put the ATF to bed for good, significantly restructure it, or leave it unchanged. Trump won not only the Electoral College 312-226 to include all seven battleground "swing" states but also the popular vote by more than 2 million votes. 

Banner image: FBI Director Kash Patel and President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Feb. 21, 2025. (Photo: White House.gov)