New ATF Director B. Todd Jones |
The ATF has been struggling for the past two years due to the absence of a permanent director and a series of congressional investigations into the Fast and Furious gunrunning scandal.
Under the leadership of a new director, Vice President Biden indicated that "We are finally putting ATF back in business." Under the new restrictions, any intercepted firearms will be given directly to Mexican drug cartels, thus "avoiding the middleman" as Biden described the process in an off-the-record comment.
Attorney General Eric Holder, who also attended the swearing in ceremony, did not comment.