A year after President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 14206 directing a review of Biden-era gun regulations, Senator Eric Schmitt is pressing the ATF for action.

In a formal letter dated February 26, Schmitt urged ATF Deputy Director Robert Cekada to repeal three controversial rules: the frame and receiver rule, the stabilizing brace rule, and the “engaged in the business” rule. According to Schmitt, each regulation exceeded statutory authority, raised due process concerns, and imposed burdens on law-abiding gun owners.

The frame and receiver rule expanded definitions under the Gun Control Act of 1968, while the stabilizing brace rule reclassified certain braced pistols under the National Firearms Act. The engaged in the business rule broadened when private firearm sales could require a federal license.

Schmitt’s letter also highlights the Supreme Court’s decision in Bondi v. VanDerStok, where portions of the frame and receiver rule were upheld, though dissenting opinions questioned ATF authority.

With the future of administrative deference in flux after the decline of Chevron-style interpretation, the senator argues it’s time for the ATF to align regulations strictly with congressional statutes.

Whether the agency will act remains to be seen, but the letter adds renewed pressure to revisit some of the most debated federal firearm regulations still on the books.