Gov. Hochul Wants to Replace Repealed ATF Gun Controls With NY Laws

Director Robert Cekada has remolded the ATF into a more 2A-friendly agency and Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) is responding by pressing New York lawmakers to pass state-level gun controls to replace federal controls repealed or altered by the ATF.

Cekada was confirmed as ATF directory on April 29, 2026, and on that same day, shortly after his confirmation, he signed a “landmark rulemaking package” rolling back and revising numerous gun regulations put in place under former President Joe Biden.

In a press release from the New York Governor’s Office, Hochul is now claiming the changes are dangerous and encroach on safety.

She said:

Time and time again, we see the Trump Administration concede to the gun lobby, and these rollbacks are yet another giveaway that will have devastating and dangerous effects across the country. While the federal government paves the way for increased firearm trafficking and putting guns in the hands of those who should not have them, New York State is taking action to blunt their efforts by bolstering our nation-leading gun laws and committing to closing the loopholes that put lives in jeopardy.

Hochul’s plan of action is a combination of state-level regulatory gun controls and other controls to be passed by lawmakers. In other words, a slate full of new executive actions and a package of laws that would be placed upon the backs of New Yorkers.

Her actions were praised by Marianna Mitchem, of Mike Bloomberg-affiliated Everytown for Gun Safety, who said, “[The] changes proposed by the ATF prioritize gun industry profits over human lives. They will exacerbate our national gun violence epidemic and undermine public safety in communities across New York State. I want to thank Governor Hochul for the steps New York is taking to protect its communities from gun trafficking and I want to encourage all local and state leaders to step up and follow her example.”

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He holds a PhD in Military History with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. He enjoys reading Philosophy and novels by Jack Carr and Nelson DeMille. He is a lever action man in an AR-15 world. Follow him on X: @awrhawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.