BELLEVUE, WA – The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms is applauding President Donald Trump’s appointment of Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll as acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, replacing FBI Director Kash Patel, who had been filling that role temporarily since early February.
“President Trump’s decision to appoint Acting Director Driscoll is indicative of his resolve to protect Second Amendment rights and bring much needed reform to the ATF,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “Mr. Patel has his hands full heading the FBI, and we’re delighted to see the president take the additional load off his shoulders and at the same time put another well-qualified individual into that position.”
Gottlieb said Patel’s presence at ATF, albeit for only a short time, did have a significant impact, especially with the scrapping of the Biden administration’s oppressive “zero tolerance policy” on small operation firearms dealers.
“We all knew Patel would not be staying long at ATF,” Gottlieb noted, “but he made the most of his time while there. Now he can focus his full attention on running the FBI.”
Driscoll is an Army veteran and a senior advisor to Vice President JD Vance. He served with the 10th Mountain Division during Operation Iraqi Freedom, serving as a cavalry scout platoon leader. He earned a bachelor of science degree in business administration from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and went on to graduate from Yale Law School following his military service. He worked for the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, and also worked at an investment bank in Charlotte, N.C.
“We’re delighted that Secretary Driscoll will also be at the ATF helm,” Gottlieb said, “where we’re confident he will continue the administration’s effort to focus on criminals while protecting the rights of law-abiding citizens.”