Report: Gun lobbyist helped write ATF deregulation memo

A gun industry lobbyist helped craft an internal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives memo released that year that recommended ending some gun control regulations, CNN reports.

Why it matters: Acting ATF Deputy Director Ronald B. Turk produced the memo dated on President Trump's inauguration day, urging the federal agency to loosen regulations for buying silencers, allowing gun dealers to sell across state lines and conducting a study on repealing the ban on imported assault weapons. The Washington Post last year obtained the 11-page white paper, which CNN said revealed that Mark Barnes, who has lobbied for the NRA, helped draft. The mem0 didn't indicate that any input from gun-control advocacy groups was included.