NEWTOWN, Conn –-(Ammoland.com)- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Director B. Todd Jones announced last Friday that he is resigning.
Deputy Director Thomas E. Brandon will serve as acting director after Jones departs.
National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) was aware that Jones was planning to step down, his decision likely accelerated by the overwhelmingly negative public and Congressional response to the bureau’s now-withdrawn proposal to adopt a regulatory framework that would have banned 5.56mm M855 “green tip” ammunition.
Jones was nominated by President Obama in January 2013 and confirmed in August of that year, the first ATF director in history to receive Senate confirmation. He had been acting director since August 2011 while also serving as U. S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota. Brandon was appointed deputy director of ATF in 2011 and has more than 26 years of experience with the bureau, serving as special agent in charge of the Phoenix and Detroit field divisions.
See Attorney General Eric Holder’s statement. For perspective on the 5.56 ammunition issue read NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Larry Keane’s latest blog post.
About NSSF The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 6,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.