Written by Daniel Whitaker.

So, Kash Patel’s name popped up again—this time, he’s not just the new FBI Director but also slated to take the reins at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), according to a Justice Department insider who spilled the beans on February 22, 2025. It’s a move that’s got people talking, and not just because it’s rare for one person to oversee two heavyweight agencies like these. Patel could be sworn in at the ATF next week, putting him in charge of the FBI’s sprawling operations and the ATF’s more focused—but no less controversial—mission. It’s a setup that’s raising eyebrows, especially among folks who’ve long had beef with how these outfits run.

Patel’s Quick Climb to the Top

Patel officially stepped into the FBI Director gig on Friday, February 21, after scraping by in a tight Senate vote. Now, word is he’s about to add ATF to his plate. The Justice Department guy—who didn’t want his name out there yet—says it’s happening fast, maybe too fast for some. Patel’s no stranger to the game; he’s done time as a prosecutor and was a right-hand man to Devin Nunes back in Trump’s first go-round. But leading two agencies with thousands of employees? That’s a different beast altogether.

Think about it: the FBI’s got something like 35,000 people—agents, analysts, you name it—digging into everything from bank robberies to terrorist plots. Then there’s the ATF, with about 5,500 folks keeping tabs on guns, bombs, and the occasional arson case. Patel’s walking into a dual role that’s less about his resume and more about trust—Trump’s trust, specifically. The guy’s known for being loyal, outspoken, and not shy about shaking things up. Whether that translates to managing these giants effectively, well, that’s the million-dollar question.

The ATF’s Bumpy Road and What Patel Might Mean for It

The ATF isn’t exactly a stranger to the spotlight, and not always for good reasons. It’s the agency that enforces gun laws, tracks explosives, and handles arson investigations—pretty straightforward on paper. But dig into its past, and you’ll find stuff like the Waco disaster in ‘93, where a standoff with a religious group went sideways and left dozens dead. Then there’s Operation Fast & Furious, a mess from around 2009 to 2011 where the idea was to let illegal gun sales happen to track them to Mexican cartels. Spoiler: it didn’t work out. Guns got lost, one ended up killing Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, and the whole thing blew up in their faces.

I’ve been poking around online lately, and folks like Peter Forcelli—he’s a former ATF agent turned whistleblower—haven’t let that one die. In his book from earlier this year, “The Deadly Path,” he lays out how the operation went off the rails and argues the feds still aren’t cracking down hard enough on straw purchases—you know, when someone buys a gun for somebody who can’t legally get one. He’s said in interviews the U.S. Attorney’s office keeps letting these cases slide, and it’s feeding the violence in Mexico. Heavy stuff, and Patel’s stepping into that legacy.

Now, the ATF’s last boss, Steven Dettelbach, bailed before Trump took over, and critics like Forcelli called him a puppet for gun-control types. Patel’s a different flavor—gun rights folks are practically doing cartwheels over him. Could he steer the ATF away from chasing down every homemade gun kit and toward something else, like border crime? It’s possible. But with its history, any shift’s going to get noticed—and not everyone’s going to like it.

Cheers from Gun Fans, Worries from Others

The reaction to Patel’s double duty has been loud and split right down the middle. Take Tim Macy from Gun Owners of America—he’s over the moon, calling Patel’s FBI win a “huge score for gun owners.” His take? Patel gets that the FBI shouldn’t be hassling regular people over their rights, and he’s hoping that spills over to the ATF. Picture the average Joe—maybe a guy who keeps a pistol at his store or a hunter out in the sticks. They’re tired of feeling like the feds are breathing down their necks over paperwork or hunting rifles. Patel’s their guy, or so they think.

Flip the coin, and you’ve got the gun safety crowd clutching their pearls. Groups like Brady United are sounding alarms, saying Patel’s too cozy with the “guns everywhere” mindset. They’re not wrong to worry—he’s made noises in the past that line up with folks who’d rather see the ATF shrink or disappear. If he dials back things like tracing guns used in crimes or cracking down on those untraceable ghost guns, it could mean fewer tools for cops dealing with shootings. And with over 43,000 gun deaths a year in the U.S.—yeah, I looked that up—that’s not a small deal. It’s a tug-of-war between freedom and safety, and Patel’s holding the rope.

What’s Next with Patel in Charge?

Running the FBI and ATF at once sounds like a logistical nightmare, but it could also be a chance to sync things up. The FBI’s all over big-picture stuff—think cartels or homegrown extremists—while the ATF zeroes in on the weapons angle. Patel could, in theory, make them play nicer together, like putting more agents on trafficking cases that hit both agencies’ radar. He’s already shaking up the FBI, sending 1,500 desk jockeys out to field offices to get their hands dirty. Maybe the ATF gets a similar jolt.

But here’s the rub: the ATF’s been a political football for years. Under Trump’s new Attorney General, Pam Bondi, there’s already been chatter about pivoting it toward immigration enforcement—less focus on booze and smokes, more on guns tied to the border. Bondi even canned the ATF’s top lawyer, Pamela Hicks, for supposedly going after gun owners too hard. If Patel follows that lead, you might see fewer agents sniffing around distilleries and more chasing smuggling rings. Sounds good to Trump’s base, but it could leave career ATF folks grumbling—or worse, stretched thin.

And let’s not kid ourselves—Patel’s got a fight on his hands just keeping the lights on. His FBI gig barely squeaked through the Senate, 51-49, with a couple of Republicans jumping ship over his thin management cred. The ATF’s coming off Dettelbach’s push for tougher gun rules, which Patel’s fans hated. He’s got to prove he can keep both shops running without picking favorites or dropping the ball. For regular people, that might mean quicker help tracking a stolen gun—or it could mean waiting longer if the priorities shift. Either way, he’s got a tightrope to walk.

Our Take

Look, Kash Patel pulling double duty at the FBI and ATF is a wild card. The guy’s got a fan club among Second Amendment diehards who see him as a fix for years of what they call federal overreach—Fast & Furious still stings, and they’re not wrong to want accountability. But here’s where I land: putting one person over two massive agencies with dicey reputations is a gamble. He could cut the fat, get them working together, and maybe rebuild some trust. Or he could overreach, lose the rank-and-file, and leave both worse off. As someone who’s watched these stories unfold, I’d say it’s less about his politics and more about whether he can actually pull it off. Time’s the judge.