As Unhealthy as Obama: Trump’s 2025 Gun Management Enforcement Numbers

On Jun 19, 2026

Federal gun control enforcement actions by the ATF are on the rise again.

While the numbers are still below record highs set by President Trump during his first term, and in one key metric, lower than they’ve been in a decade, the overall picture is still terrible. And in some cases, they’re heading in the wrong direction once again.

Every year the ATF releases a fact sheet detailing the number of employees engaging in gun control measures as well as the number of cases pursued and defendants named in said cases. The following report is based entirely on the recently-released data provided for 2025.

Firearms Cases Initiated

The 22,885 cases initiated by the ATF in 2025 represented a 5.47% decrease as compared to the final year of the Biden administration. It’s also the lowest level for this metric in a decade.

However, it’s important to note that according to the ATF’s own fact sheet, a typical case remains open for about four years. This tells us the metric is a lagging indicator, suggesting that cases initiated were dropping in recent years, starting as early as 2022, under the Biden administration.

2025 – 22,885
2024 – 24,208
2023 – 34,169
2022 – 34,436
2021 – 37,569
2020 – 39,449
2019 – 36,158
2018 – 35,839
2017 – 34,483
2016 – 31,853
2015 – 27,228

Cases Recommended for Prosecution

While the cases initiated are down significantly, the number of cases being advanced to the prosecution stage is on the rise once again. The 8,052 cases recommended for prosecution in 2025 increased by 8.34% over the prior year. This recommendation rate was similar to Trump’s last year in office in 2020 (8,025), but still lower than his own record of 11,319 in 2019.

2025 – 8,052
2024 – 7,432
2023 – 9,964
2022 – 10,138
2021 – 11,224
2020 – 8,025
2019 – 11,319
2018 – 10,691
2017 – 9,591
2016 – 8,805
2015 – 7,516
2014 – 7,577

Indicted Cases

Federal prosecutors obtained indictments in 5,545 cases in 2025. This represents an increase of 16.15% over the final year of Biden’s presidency, but still significantly lower than Trump’s record of 8,360 in 2019.

2025 – 5,545
2024 – 4,774
2023 – 6,592
2022 – 6,315
2021 – 7,532
2020 – 6,934
2019 – 8,360
2018 – 7,630
2017 – 7,137
2016 – 6,357
2015 – 5,503
2014 – 5,310

The 2025 cases indicted are closest to 2014-2015 levels (5,310 and 5,503 respectively), mirroring, yet slightly more than, Obama-era enforcement numbers.

In all, federal prosecutors indicted 7,572 individuals in 2025, a 9.42 percent increase compared to 2024, a number still well below record numbers set during Trump’s first term, but again trending in the wrong direction.

Convictions

The ATF secured convictions in 4,061 cases in 2025.

This conviction rate was comparable to Obama-era levels (4,031 in 2015 and 4,482 in 2014), and the final year of the Biden administration (4,126 in 2025) – but substantially lower than the average during the first Trump administration, and the first three years of Biden’s term.

Despite the significant decrease in his final year, Biden’s administration still recorded the second-highest average annual conviction rate (5,328 cases per year over 4 years) in the reviewed period, behind the Trump administration (5,905 cases per year over 4 years) which holds the all time record for the highest annual average.

2025 – 4,061
2024 – 4,126
2023 – 5,881
2022 – 5,338
2021 – 5,967
2020 – 5,181
2019 – 6,887
2018 – 5,485
2017 – 6,068
2016 – 5,517
2015 – 4,031
2014 – 4,482

In total, federal prosecutors convicted 5,451 individual defendants in cases brought by the ATF in 2025. This represents a 7.78 percent decrease from the 5,911 defendants convicted in 2024, and a significant drop from the peak years of 2019-2023. The 2025 defendant conviction count is most comparable to Obama-era levels, though still higher than the 2014-2015 figures.

Case Types

The ATF also investigates arson, cases involving explosives, and alcohol and tobacco cases, but these make up a small percentage of the total. In 2025, 88 percent of all cases were related to firearms, a 2 percent decrease from 2024. Under the Trump administration, 92 percent of the cases investigated by the ATF involved firearms, while under Obama, the percentage was slightly lower at 90 percent.

Additionally, as shown in the chart below, the vast majority of enforcement actions were for paperwork violations, with issues regarding ATF Form 4473 (the Firearms Transaction Record) accounting for five of the top ten most frequently cited violations.

The Lesson?

As demonstrated by the statistical breakdown above, aggressive federal gun control enforcement transcends party lines. The data reveals a pattern where both major political parties have consistently enforced federal gun control measures despite the language of the Second Amendment.

Perhaps surprising to many observers, the data clearly shows that the Trump administration maintained significantly higher levels of enforcement than the Biden administration, particularly in Trump’s first term. Biden’s final year (2024) saw enforcement actions drop dramatically to levels 30-40% below Trump’s first term average, returning to levels equal to or slightly higher than Obama-era enforcement numbers.

During a public appearance in 2019, President Donald Trump proudly reminded us about his gun control credentials, bragging that his administration implemented new gun control and conducted more enforcement actions than any president in history. He still holds that record today.

ATF enforcement of federal gun control under Trump in year one of his second term shows a drop in some important areas, but an increase in others. But even where things have improved? No better than President Obama, who most people consider one of the most aggressive on federal gun control in history..

The bottom line is we can’t trust anybody in Washington D.C. to protect the 2nd Amendment and the right to keep and bear arms.

In fact, if the government followed the Constitution, the ATF wouldn’t exist. All federal gun control laws are unconstitutional. Under the Constitution, there is nothing for the ATF to enforce.

At all.

There isn’t an asterisk after “shall not be infringed.” No terms and conditions apply.

The proof is in the data: we can’t trust either Republicans or Democrats in Washington D.C. to uphold the Second Amendment.

Footnote 1

All enforcement statistics were taken from the following ATF Fact Sheets

Tags: 2nd-amendment, ATF, Donald Trump, Federal Gun Control, Reports