In a letter sent to Attorney General of the United States Pamela Bondi, the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), along with its partners, outlined their concerns over the proposed Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) - Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) merger.

The letter lists 12 reasons why the ATF-DEA merger is an affront to the millions of gun owners across America. Chief among them is the fact that it would create a tremendous budget and employee increase for the ATF, along with easy access to high-level surveillance and intelligence capabilities.

“It should come as no surprise that the ATF has not been a ‘friendly’ agency when it comes to upholding the Second Amendment rights of peaceable citizens” said SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut. “Their actions have caused chaos for Federal Firearms Licensees, they have repeatedly wrongfully accused lawful gun owners and, worst of all, their aggressive tactics have caused deaths over perceived infractions. To merge the ATF with the DEA would increase their size and budget at a minimum, exponentially expanding their reach and resources.”

As noted in the letter, SAF and its partners urged the Attorney General to “…consider abandoning this proposal and continuing to operate ATF as a standalone agency of narrow purpose and limited resource –until such time as all unconstitutional federal gun laws are repealed and the ATF can be abolished.”

“We are 100% against a merger that would make an already dangerous organization even larger with more money to back their efforts to infringe on the Second Amendment rights of American citizens,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “The ATF’s history of trampling on the right to keep and bear arms is well-documented and we have requested the Attorney General reconsider the proposed ATF-DEA merger.”

Joining SAF in signing the letter are Gun Owners of America, Gun Owners Foundation, Gun Owners of California, Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, California Rifle & Pistol Association and Second Amendment Law Center.

For more information, visit SAF.org.

The Second Amendment Foundation (saf.org) is the nation’s oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group dedicated to safeguarding and promoting the fundamental rights of individuals enshrined in the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. SAF engages in aggressive legal action to ensure the principles of armed self-defense, personal liberty, and the ownership of arms are defended, secured, and restored. Through public education initiatives, SAF teaches the importance of the Second Amendment to promote a society that values and exercises the right to keep and bear arms.