DOJ Reverses Course on Defending Biden’s ‘Engaged in the Business’ Rule for Gun Sales

April 16, 2026
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In a stunning pivot that has 2A advocates raising eyebrows and popping champagne corks, the Department of Justice under the new Trump administration has abruptly reversed course on defending Joe Biden's controversial engaged in the business (EIB) rule for gun sales. This ATF regulation, finalized in 2024, aimed to criminalize casual private firearm transfers by redefining what it means to be engaged in the business of selling guns—essentially turning your garage gun show or occasional buddy sale into a felony without a Federal Firearms License (FFL). The DOJ's filing in ongoing litigation signals they won't defend it anymore, with plans to revisit and revise the rule imminently. It's a direct shot across the bow of Biden's gun-grab legacy, handed down just as courts were gearing up to shred it anyway. This isn't just bureaucratic housekeeping; it's a seismic win for the Second Amendment after years of regulatory overreach. Remember, the EIB rule was the ATF's sneaky workaround to Biden's unpassed universal background check dreams, ignoring Supreme Court precedents like *Bruen* that demand gun laws stick to historical traditions—not modern edicts from desk jockeys. Critics, including the Firearms Policy Coalition and Gun Owners of America, hammered it as an unconstitutional expansion of federal power, forcing hobbyists, heirs settling estates, or even church raffles into FFL purgatory. With the DOJ's retreat—echoing their similar backpedal on the pistol brace rule—this exposes the fragility of these rules: they were never on solid legal ground, propped up only by a friendly administration. Trump's DOJ pick, Pam Bondi, wasted no time signaling the end of the ATF's rogue era. For the 2A community, the implications are electric: expect a swift rulemaking to gut or scrap the EIB entirely, freeing up private sales nationwide and slamming the brakes on the administrative state’s anti-gun crusade. It's a reminder that elections have consequences—Biden's midnight regulations are crumbling like a wet paper target. Gun owners should stay vigilant, support the lawsuits pushing this forward, and push Congress for permanent ATF reforms like the SHORT Act. This reversal isn't the endgame; it's the opening salvo in rolling back years of encroachments. Lock, load, and celebrate—liberty's got momentum.

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This isn’t just bureaucratic housekeeping; it’s a seismic win for the Second Amendment after years of regulatory overreach. Remember, the EIB rule was the ATF’s sneaky workaround to Biden’s unpassed universal background check dreams, ignoring Supreme Court precedents like *Bruen* that demand gun laws stick to historical traditions—not modern edicts from desk jockeys. Critics, including the Firearms Policy Coalition and Gun Owners of America, hammered it as an unconstitutional expansion of federal power, forcing hobbyists, heirs settling estates, or even church raffles into FFL purgatory. With the DOJ’s retreat—echoing their similar backpedal on the pistol brace rule—this exposes the fragility of these rules: they were never on solid legal ground, propped up only by a friendly administration. Trump’s DOJ pick, Pam Bondi, wasted no time signaling the end of the ATF’s rogue era.

For the 2A community, the implications are electric: expect a swift rulemaking to gut or scrap the EIB entirely, freeing up private sales nationwide and slamming the brakes on the administrative state’s anti-gun crusade. It’s a reminder that elections have consequences—Biden’s midnight regulations are crumbling like a wet paper target. Gun owners should stay vigilant, support the lawsuits pushing this forward, and push Congress for permanent ATF reforms like the SHORT Act. This reversal isn’t the endgame; it’s the opening salvo in rolling back years of encroachments. Lock, load, and celebrate—liberty’s got momentum.

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