In a short but pointed Executive Order late last week, President Trump tackled the Second Amendment, offering protection for U.S. gun owners.
In the order titled “Protecting Second Amendment Rights,” Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to review all executive actions, regulations, agreements, and agency actions regarding the Second Amendment. Specifically, the order asks the AG to comb through rules enacted by the Department of Justice — including the ATF — during Biden’s presidential term.
Its goal is to identify any Second Amendment infringements and present a plan to protect 2A rights.
“The Second Amendment is an indispensable safeguard of security and liberty. It has preserved the right of the American people to protect ourselves, our families, and our freedoms since the founding of our great Nation,” the order said.
“Because it is foundational to maintaining all other rights held by Americans, the right to keep and bear arms must not be infringed.”
Second Amendment advocates applauded the order and said it was a nice change of pace from the previous administration.
“For the past four years, the previous president and his administration attacked law-abiding gun owners and the lawful firearm industry at every opportunity, crippling small businesses and turning law-abiding Americans into criminals overnight, all while trampling on Constitutional rights and ignoring laws passed by Congress,” Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President for Government and Public Affairs and General Counsel, said in a statement.
“President Trump’s welcomed Executive Order means those exercising their rights to keep and bear arms will be able to continue protecting their loved ones, homes and property and do so knowing the President of the United States has their back.”
Trump’s first term was less than impressive for 2A rights as he initiated a bump stock ban that was later struck down by the Supreme Court in 2024 in Garland v. Cargill. 2A advocates were patiently waiting to see if Trump’s second term would impact gun rights — undoing any of the Biden administration’s gun control policies.
“By planning to dismantle Biden’s anti-gun agenda and rein in the ATF, President Trump is making good on his word to protect and defend the Second Amendment,” Erich Pratt, Senior Vice President of GOA, said in a press release.
On the other hand, gun reform activists insist that current U.S. gun policies are constitutional and should not be reversed for any reason.
“They [the policies] were perfectly in line with Second Amendment rights, and we’re hoping that at the end of this review, there might be some restraint and objectivity,” Mark Collins, the national policy director for Brady, commented to The Trace.
“Maybe they’re planning to roll back everything, which is a really bad idea especially considering that we just went through the sharpest drop in gun homicides in modern American history. It seems wild that you would roll back all the policies that made that possible.”
The Attorney General has 30 days to conduct the investigation into the country’s gun laws and regulations and present the President with a proposal. Upon approval, the AG will then work alongside the Domestic Policy Advisor to implement the plan.
What do you think of the executive order? Let us know in the comments below. For more on what’s happening in the gun world, check out our News page.
2 Leave a Reply
According to Mark Collins, National Safety Director for Brady, “considering that we just went through the sharpest drop in gun homicides in modern American history. It seems wild that you would roll back all the policies that made that possible”. Well, Mark, maybe it’s because more people are embracing their 2nd Amendment rights and the bad guys know it. Just sayin’.
What laws are being reversed? Was it the one who kept criminals or Domestic abusers from purchasing guns legally? To me this just seems like Trump twisting this EO as a pro 2nd Amendment win where it wasn’t needed.