The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, better known as the ATF, is probably the most reviled federal law enforcement agency in the country, and considering how shady the FBI has been over the last handful of years, that’s impressive.

In theory, we gun owners shouldn’t have any problem with the ATF. They’re not supposed to care about our gun purchases, after all. Even most FFLs shouldn’t have an issue with them since they’re not doing anything illegal. In an ideal world, the ATF would be our ally in combatting actual criminality, focusing on how criminals get guns.

But they don’t. Under President Joe Biden, they’ve made it their mission to run as many gun stores out of business as they can, which is why some Republican lawmakers are looking to end the ATF.

And wouldn’t you know it? Giffords has decided to use the wildfires in Southern California to try to attack that effort.

Giffords did this in reaction to a photo posted by ABC7’s Chris Christi:

BREAKING: ATF arson investigators have descended on the area of suspicion, along a hiking trail at The Summit of the Pacific Palisades #PalisadesFire pic.twitter.com/9y6ktpbMSr

— Chris Cristi (@abc7chriscristi) January 13, 2025

In response to Christi’s photo, Giffords noted “As the ATF investigates the Palisades fire, which has killed at least eight people so far, House Republicans are doing everything in their power to defund and dismantle the ATF.”

The gun control group added, “The GOP must stop putting politics above public safety.”

Now, let’s understand that if this were the majority of what the ATF did, no one would blink at them.

It’s not. 

The ATF has been weaponized against gun owners for years. It’s the same agency that’s shown up at a lawful gun owner’s doors asking to see the gun they purchased. This is the same agency that had an inspector photograph gun purchase records, a blatantly illegal act, and there’s no evidence they were even punished for it. This is the same agency that could have arrested an Arkansas airport executive at his place of work or on the street on his way to or from that work, but instead opted to do it at home where the risks were even greater, resulting in the man’s death. 

Again, this is the same federal agency that’s also started reclassifying things as suddenly illegal, meaning law-abiding Americans are forced to get rid of property they bought lawfully just because some bureaucrat decided to outlaw something.

Let’s understand that if the ATF went away tomorrow, the arson investigators would likely go to work for someone like the FBI or Secret Service, whoever takes on that role from the ATF. Federal crimes don’t suddenly stop being investigated because the agency charged with investigating them is abolished. Someone else takes up the role.

But Giffords wants to ignore the many ways the ATF actively works against the American people so that you can look at this one thing that they very rarely are tasked to do, all things considered, and pretend that this is what the agency is all about.

It’s disgusting because they know otherwise.

They’re just hoping you’re too stupid to know.