2 months ago
2
PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) repealed the “Zero Tolerance Policy” established by former President Joe Biden, which enforced strict regulations on federal firearms dealers. They also announced a review of the stabilizing braces policy and the “engaged in the business” rule.
👥 Who’s Involved: The decision involves the DOJ, ATF, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel (also acting director of ATF), and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Your free, daily feed from The National Pulse.
📍 Where & When: The announcement was made on April 7, 2025, in the United States.
💬 Key Quote: U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi stated, “The prior administration’s ‘Zero Tolerance’ policy unfairly targeted law-abiding gun owners and created an undue burden on Americans seeking to exercise their constitutional right to bear arms —it ends today.”
⚠️ Impact: The repeal will reduce regulatory pressure on firearms dealers and alter regulations concerning stabilizing braces and the definition of firearms dealers, which could affect private transactions.
IN FULL:
The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) have rescinded the “Zero Tolerance Policy” implemented under former President Biden. This policy aimed to significantly restrict the operations of federal firearms dealers and tighten gun regulations in the United States.
Under former President Biden, the “Zero Tolerance Policy” applied stringent regulations on firearms dealers, causing contention among Second Amendment advocates who criticized the policy for targeting dealers over minor paperwork inconsistencies rather than severe infractions. The repeal announcement, confirmed on Monday, was accompanied by a planned review of two related rules: the stabilizing braces policy and the definition of being “engaged in the business.”
“The prior administration’s ‘Zero Tolerance’ policy unfairly targeted law-abiding gun owners and created an undue burden on Americans seeking to exercise their constitutional right to bear arms—it ends today,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in announcing the rule repeal. Meanwhile, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel—who also serves as the acting director of the ATF—stated: “Today’s repeal of the Zero Tolerance Policy and the comprehensive review of stabilizing brace regulations and the definition of ‘engaged in the business’ marks a pivotal step toward restoring fairness and clarity in firearms regulation.”
In addition to the policy repeal, the DOJ and ATF announced they will re-evaluate the “engaged in the business” rule, which expanded the definition of a firearms dealer and raised concerns about the potential criminalization of private transactions. Additionally, the former Biden government’s ruling that handguns that utilize stabilizing braces constitute illegal short-barreled rifles is also being reconsidered.
PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: President Donald J. Trump wants a substantial increase to the Pentagon’s budget, raising it to $1 trillion.
👥 Who’s Involved: President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
Your free, daily feed from The National Pulse.
📍 Where & When: The announcement was made in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington, DC, on April 7, 2025.
💬 Key Quote: “We have to build our military, and we’re very cost-conscious, but the military is something that we have to build, and we have to be strong because you’ve got a lot of bad forces out there now,” said Trump.
⚠️ Impact: This budget increase would be the largest in U.S. military history, reflecting a significant shift in defense spending priorities.
IN FULL:
President Donald J. Trump stated plans to approve an unprecedented increase in the U.S. military budget, elevating it to $1 trillion. This figure represents the most substantial military budget in the nation’s history. During an announcement in the Oval Office on April 7, 2025, Trump highlighted the necessity of enhancing military capabilities, citing rising global threats.
“We rebuilt the military during my first term, and we have great things happening with our military. We also essentially approved a budget which is in the vicinity… of a trillion dollars, $1 trillion. And nobody’s seen anything like it,” he told reporters during an Oval Office meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“We have to build our military, and we’re very cost-conscious, but the military is something we have to build, and we have to be strong because you have a lot of bad forces out there now. So we’re going to be approving a budget, and I’m proud to say actually the biggest one we’ve ever done for the military,” he continued, adding: “We’re cutting other things under DOGE. When you look at a woman getting $2 billion for environmental, and it had nothing to do with the environment, and they had $100 in the bank, and they gave her $2 billion, many, many of those cases.”
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth praised the budget announcement and thanked President Trump. “President [Trump] is rebuilding our military—and FAST,” Hegseth wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter), while emphasizing that the Pentagon will “spend every taxpayer dollar wisely—on lethality and readiness.”
The National Pulse understands that in recent weeks, Elon Musk lobbied for the halving this budget, in a move that caused consternation amongst top MAGA figures at the Pentagon, especially given the precarious global security situation as well as the efforts to secure locations such as the Panama Canal which requires convincing nations that America is investing and expanding its strength harder and faster than the Chinese Communist Party.
show less
English (US) ·