ATF Chief Counsel Robert Leider Resigns: What Changes

Robert Leider resigned as ATF chief counsel on Friday, October 30, 2026. ATF's release says he is expected to return to his academic post as an assistant professor of law at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University, and that he supported "the agency's development and release of more than 40 proposed and final rules" after joining in early 2025.

CBS News, which first reported the departure, said a source with direct knowledge described Leider remaining technically employed through January while on administrative leave starting Monday, November 2. CBS also reported, citing a source, that the resignation was not related to the Justice Department's decision not to appeal the court ruling against NFA registration. Neither detail appears in ATF's own release. Leider previously clerked for Justice Clarence Thomas.

Every ATF proposal published in 2026 is still a proposal, and a personnel change does not finalize or withdraw any of them. The open items Leider's office worked on include:

• The six May 2026 NFA paperwork proposals, covering Form 20 travel approval, CLEO notification, spousal registration, safe transport, post-86 machine gun transfers, and SOT rules.
• The May 2026 proposal to remove the stabilizing brace factoring criteria from the regulations.
• The May 2026 engaged-in-the-business proposal, which is separate from the vacated 2024 dealer rule.
• The July 2026 NFA fingerprint and photo proposal, whose comment period closed October 5.

Watch the Federal Register, not personnel news, for movement on any of these. A final rule or withdrawal notice is the only event that changes what a dealer or buyer has to do.

ATF's October 9 NFA nonenforcement guidance stays in place. Buyers of suppressors, SBRs, SBSs, and AOWs still transfer on a Form 4473 with a NICS check and no Form 4 wait, and state law still applies. The guidance is enforcement policy, so a future ATF could change it, but nothing announced with Leider's exit does.

On dealer handgun sales to adults 18 to 20, Leider said on September 24 that ATF was building systems for those transfers and that a revised Form 4473 was not expected until after the holiday season. ATF has published no new date. Until a revised form ships, dealers keep following the current 4473.

For buyers, the practical plan is unchanged. If you are building a short-barreled rifle under the current guidance, our 300 Blackout rifles, pistols, and SBRs guide covers factory options, the best SBRs guide ranks the rest, and the rifle builder checks parts fit. Confirm your state's rules with the state legality tool.