Before Andrew Clyde became a congressman with the power to influence federal gun policy and the budget for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), he was a gun dealer — and he still is. The Georgia Republican remains the sole owner of Clyde Armory, a firearms retailer that has generated millions of dollars in annual income for the congressman and has itself been subject to repeated scrutiny from the ATF. Since arriving in Congress in 2021, Rep. Clyde has emerged as one of the agency’s most vocal opponents, using his position on the House Appropriations Committee to push for budget cuts to the ATF1See Glenn Thrush, “A Lawmaker Hid One Key Fact as He Fought Checks on Gun Shops,” The New York Times, August 25, 2023, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/25/us/politics/gun-control-atf-clyde-congress.html; AWR Hawkins, “Exclusive: Rep. Andrew Clyde, 107 Cosponsors Introduce Bill to Block ATF’s Universal Background Check Rule,” Breitbart, December 13, 2023, https://www.breitbart.com/2nd-amendment/2023/12/13/exclusive-rep-andrew-clyde-107-cosponsors-introduce-bill-block-atfs-universal-background-check-rule/; Chris Eger, “ATF Funding Bill Moving Forward at Near Biden-era Levels,” Guns.com, January 13, 2026, https://www.guns.com/news/2026/01/13/atf-funding-bill-moving-forward-at-near-biden-era-levels. and declaring in 2023, “We’re going to defund it.”2AWR Hawkins, “Exclusive — Andrew Clyde on ATF Pistol Brace Rule: ‘We’re Going to Defund It,’ Breitbart, April 24, 2023, https://www.breitbart.com/2nd-amendment/2023/04/24/exclusive-andrew-clyde-on-atf-pistol-brace-rule-were-going-to-defund-it/.
Now, a firearm originally sold by Clyde Armory has surfaced in a federal trafficking case involving more than 40 guns allegedly purchased in Georgia and trafficked to Chicago. Authorities have recovered at least 20 firearms connected to the alleged operation, including those used in violent crimes. The case does not accuse Rep. Clyde or Clyde Armory of criminal wrongdoing, and the sale of a firearm that is later recovered by law enforcement does not by itself mean a dealer violated the law. But the case adds new scrutiny to Clyde’s unusual position as the owner of a multimillion-dollar firearms business who also has power over the very federal agency responsible for inspecting his stores and tracing recovered crime guns like the one traced back to Clyde Armory.
Following the Gun
In June, federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment alleging that a group of defendants participated in a years-long scheme to move firearms from the Athens, Georgia, area to Chicago. According to prosecutors, one defendant, Anthony Edmond, purchased more than 40 firearms from Athens-area gun stores between September 2020 and July 2021. At least 20 firearms connected to the alleged operation have since been recovered by law enforcement, including several associated with violent crimes. For example, one Glock pistol purchased in Athens was allegedly used in a Chicago homicide just 36 days after its original sale and was later used by a teenager in the shooting of a rival gang member aboard a Chicago bus.
Among the recovered firearms was one originally purchased from Clyde Armory’s Athens location. Although prosecutors have not accused Rep. Clyde or his company of participating in the alleged trafficking operation, this is not the first time the congressman’s gun business has drawn the attention of federal law enforcement. ATF compliance inspections of Clyde Armory’s Athens and Warner Robins locations have identified numerous regulatory violations over the years, including failing to “stop the transfer of a firearm when the licensee has reason to believe the person is prohibited from possessing a firearm.”3ATF compliance inspection report of Clyde Armory, 89-90, https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24040388/final-response-2023-01493-2.pdf.
The Athens location where the firearm connected to the recent trafficking case was purchased was also subject to the ATF’s Demand Letter 2 program from at least 2020 through 2023. For roughly 25 years, the program imposed additional reporting requirements on gun dealers that sold high volumes of firearms later recovered from crime scenes. Dealers became subject to the program after having 25 or more crime guns with a “time to crime” of three years or less — a strong indicator of trafficking — traced back to them in a single calendar year. But five months into the second Trump administration, the ATF ended the program, which helped the agency monitor problematic dealers and trace used crime guns.
Undercutting the ATF
During a congressional hearing with former ATF Director Steve Dettelbach, Representative Clyde questioned the Demand Letter 2 program without publicly disclosing during the exchange that his own gun store had been subject to it. That hearing highlights the unusual overlap between Clyde’s private financial interests and his public role: He owns a business overseen by the ATF while serving on the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies within the House Appropriations Committee, which has jurisdiction over the agency’s budget.
Rep. Clyde has repeatedly used his position to attack the ATF and seek limits on its enforcement activities. For example, during the 2023 fight over the agency’s arm brace rule, Clyde declared, “We’re going to defund it,” and said he was “fighting to defund this tyranny.”
His legislative record also includes support for numerous policies that could affect businesses like the one he owns. Clyde has advocated for making silencers, short-barreled rifles and shotguns, and other federally regulated weapons more widely available; eliminating restrictions on interstate handgun purchases; expanding the importation of foreign-made firearms and ammunition; and repealing federal excise taxes on firearms. Financial disclosures highlighted by Meidas News show that between 2019 and 2022, Clyde reported earning between $2 million and $12 million annually from Clyde Armory.
The recent trafficking case brings renewed attention to Rep. Clyde and his gun business and raises questions of whether a lawmaker who earns millions of dollars from the gun industry should also have the power to influence the funding and enforcement capabilities of the agency responsible for overseeing it.