The Department of Justice announced the formation of the “Second Amendment Enforcement Task Force,” setting off praise from the gun rights community and drawing the ire of the anti-gun syndicate.
“The prior administration placed an undue burden on gun owners and vendors by targeting law-abiding citizens exercising their 2nd Amendment rights,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said. “The Department of Justice’s new 2nd Amendment Task Force will combine department-wide policy and litigation resources to advance President Trump’s pro-gun agenda and protect gun owners from overreach.”
The new task force starkly contrasts the Biden Administration’s “White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention.” Under Biden, anti-gun groups unofficially received an office in the White House intending to limit the gun rights of Americans. The new task force’s goal is to expand the rights of the people. The memo sent out by Bondi echoed the words of Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, who said, “The Second Amendment is not a second-class right.”
The memo read: “For too long, the Second Amendment, which establishes the fundamental individual right of Americans to keep and bear arms, has been treated as a second-class right. No more. It is the policy of this Department of Justice to use its full might to protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.”
The creation of the Second Enforcement Task Force is a direct result of President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14206 § 1 (Protecting Second Amendment Rights). The task force will comprise Attorney General Bondi as chair and the Associate Attorney General as vice chair. In addition to AG Bondi and the AAG, the AG’s personal staff, the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the Office of the Associate Attorney General, the Office of the Solicitor General, the Civil Division, the Civil Rights Division, the Criminal Division, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and any other group that the AG deems necessary will be tapped for the task force.
The primary purpose of the task force is to continue implementing Trump’s Second Amendment Executive Order. AG Bondi said they are “developing and executing strategies to use litigation and policy to advance, protect, and promote compliance with the Second Amendment.” The press release referenced repealing the ATF’s zero-tolerance and reviewing both the “engage in the business” and the “pistol brace rule.” The DOJ recently opened an investigation into the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) for Second Amendment rights violations in issuing concealed carry permits. The DOJ said these are just the first of many investigations into Second Amendment violations concentrating on California. It is expected that these investigations will expand past the Golden State.
The creation of the Second Enforcement Task Force saw gun rights groups celebrate on social media. Gun Owners of America (GOA), Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC), the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), and the National Rifle Association (NRA) all supported the DOJ’s move. The anti-gun groups took a “sky is falling” stance. Giffords was particularly upset about the creation of the task force. The group said:
“The Trump administration just announced a special interest task force as a favor to gun industry CEOs.”
“Donald Trump hasn’t taken a single action to address the number one killer of American kids: gun crime and gun violence.”
Gun owners are now starting to see the fruits of the Trump Executive Order on the Second Amendment coming to fruition. More changes are expected over the coming weeks and months.
About John Crump
Mr. Crump is an NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. John has written about firearms, interviewed people from all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons, follow him on X at @crumpyss, or at www.crumpy.com.
