{"id":211094,"date":"2025-01-01T15:44:19","date_gmt":"2025-01-01T21:44:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?p=211094"},"modified":"2026-02-06T08:47:38","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T14:47:38","slug":"is-this-guy-really-going-to-be-the-next-atf-director","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/is-this-guy-really-going-to-be-the-next-atf-director\/","title":{"rendered":"Is This Guy Really Going to Be the Next ATF Director?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@WashingtonGunLaw\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"is-this-guy-really-going-to-be-the-next-atf-director\" title=\"Is This Guy Really Going to Be the Next ATF Director?\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-estimated-reading-time yoast-reading-time__wrapper\"><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__icon\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" data-icon=\"clock\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" style=\"display:inline-block;vertical-align:-0.1em\" role=\"img\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M12 8v4l3 3m6-3a9 9 0 11-18 0 9 9 0 0118 0z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__spacer\" style=\"display:inline-block;width:1em\"><\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__descriptive-text\">Estimated reading time: <\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__reading-time\">2<\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__time-unit\"> minutes<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a recent Washington Gun Law episode, William Kirk tackled swirling rumors about Blake Masters being considered for the role of ATF Director under a potential Trump administration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the name might not ring bells for everyone, Kirk didn\u2019t hold back in breaking down who Masters is and whether he\u2019s the right pick for the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Who is Blake Masters? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Is This Guy Really Going to Be the Next ATF Director?\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gjq5p_rFxyU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He\u2019s a successful businessman with an impressive professional background. However, his political career has been far less stellar. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He ran for U.S. Senate in <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/arizona-court-rules-gun-loaded-even-empty-chamber\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"is-this-guy-really-going-to-be-the-next-atf-director\" title=\"Is This Guy Really Going to Be the Next ATF Director?\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"3396\">Arizona<\/a> against Mark Kelly, lost decisively, and followed that up with an unsuccessful congressional run in Arizona\u2019s 8th District. Despite significant funding and high expectations, both campaigns floundered, and Masters walked away without a win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-see-also-compact-size-max-performance-meet-the-alien-remus\">SEE ALSO: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/compact-size-max-performance-meet-the-alien-remus\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"is-this-guy-really-going-to-be-the-next-atf-director\" title=\"Is This Guy Really Going to Be the Next ATF Director?\">Compact Size, Max Performance: Meet the Alien Remus<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>After those losses, Masters reportedly vied for leadership of the Presidential Personnel Office but was turned down. Now, rumors suggest he\u2019s aiming for the top seat at the ATF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Is Masters pro-Second Amendment? Kirk highlighted a Facebook post from Masters where he\u2019s seen holding a semi-automatic <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/sb-tactical-wins-appeal-against-atfs-rule-on-pistol-stabilizing-braces\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"is-this-guy-really-going-to-be-the-next-atf-director\" title=\"Is This Guy Really Going to Be the Next ATF Director?\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"3397\">pistol with a stabilizing brace<\/a> (see below): <\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/video.php?height=256&#038;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FBlakeMastersAZ%2Fvideos%2F288940666448595%2F&#038;show_text=false&#038;width=560&#038;t=0\" width=\"560\" height=\"256\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowFullScreen=\"true\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While Masters presents himself as pro-Second Amendment, concerns linger. Critics question whether his ambition for power outweighs his dedication to defending constitutional rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One anonymous Arizona gun owner, quoted in the<em><a href=\"https:\/\/arizonadailyindependent.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"is-this-guy-really-going-to-be-the-next-atf-director\" title=\"Is This Guy Really Going to Be the Next ATF Director?\"> Arizona Daily Independent<\/a>,<\/em> put it bluntly:<br \/><em>&#8220;It\u2019s clear Masters wants power, and that\u2019s why President Trump can\u2019t give it to him\u2014especially not over our firearms.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some suggest more experienced and trusted figures, like Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, would be a better fit for the role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kirk made one point crystal clear: the ATF doesn\u2019t just need a Trump loyalist\u2014it needs someone fiercely loyal to the Second Amendment and the constitutional rights of all Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Someone asked me about short-barreled rifles and pistol braces last night (!)<br \/><br \/>What the Biden ATF is trying to do now by reclassifying pistol braces is a classic gun control move: ignore actual criminals, turn law-abiding gun owners into felons. More on this soon. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/kwjHq32dig\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"is-this-guy-really-going-to-be-the-next-atf-director\" title=\"Is This Guy Really Going to Be the Next ATF Director?\">pic.twitter.com\/kwjHq32dig<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Blake Masters (@bgmasters) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/bgmasters\/status\/1433859851302490112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"is-this-guy-really-going-to-be-the-next-atf-director\" title=\"Is This Guy Really Going to Be the Next ATF Director?\">September 3, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While Masters has the business acumen and the connections, his shaky political track record raises legitimate concerns about his ability to lead such a critical agency effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For now, it\u2019s all speculation. But if these rumors materialize, gun owners across the country will be watching closely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As always, Kirk reminded viewers to stay informed, stay involved, and stay vigilant in defending their rights. You can follow <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtongunlaw.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"is-this-guy-really-going-to-be-the-next-atf-director\" title=\"Is This Guy Really Going to Be the Next ATF Director?\">Washington Gun Law HERE.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong><em>*** <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"is-this-guy-really-going-to-be-the-next-atf-director\" title=\"Is This Guy Really Going to Be the Next ATF Director?\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Buy and Sell on GunsAmerica!<\/a> ***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Who is Blake Masters? He\u2019s a successful businessman with an impressive professional background. However, his political career has been far less stellar.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":158,"featured_media":211123,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_specdata_upc":"","_specdata_placement":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4024],"tags":[132,607,122],"featured":[],"hunt365":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-211094","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-buzz","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-r2kba"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Is This Guy Really Going to Be the Next ATF Director?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Who is Blake Masters and why is he being considered for ATF Director? 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However, his political career has been far less stellar."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/is-this-guy-really-going-to-be-the-next-atf-director\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Is This Guy Really Going to Be the Next ATF Director?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/#website","url":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/","name":"Gun Reviews and News | GunsAmerica.com\/Digest","description":"Gun Reviews, Industry News, and Product Reviews for Rifles, Pistols, Revolvers, Shotguns, Optics, and Ammunition. Looking to purchase a firearm online? 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