The Trump administration’s move to scrap federal bump stock restrictions has hit resistance from an unexpected source: the chief counsel for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

Robert Leider, who serves as chief counsel at the agency while also teaching at Antonin Scalia Law School, apparently backs keeping bump stocks classified as machine guns after witnessing their operation firsthand at a shooting range.

The devices, which attach to rifles, can dramatically increase their firing rate. Last year, the Supreme Court struck down the bump stock ban, though Biden's team pressed on with legal challenges.

Leider was on a six-day leave when Justice Department officials announced the policy shift allowing bump stocks back on the market.

“This Department of Justice believes that the Second Amendment is not a second-class right,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said. “And we are glad to end a needless cycle of litigation with a settlement that will enhance public safety.”

The ATF continues to operate under Justice Department oversight, handling firearm sales regulation and licensing based on laws passed by Congress.