President Donald Trump issued an executive order “protecting Second Amendment rights.”

“The Second Amendment is an indispensable safeguard of security and liberty,” Trump wrote. “It has preserved the right of the American people to protect ourselves, our families, and our freedoms since the founding of our great Nation. Because it is foundational to maintaining all other rights held by Americans, the right to keep and bear arms must not be infringed. “

The order was issued late Friday. Attorney General Pam Bondi was given 30 days to review all orders, regulations, guidance, plans, international agreements, and other actions of executive departments and agencies to look for any ongoing infringements of the American public’s Second Amendment-protected rights. The order calls out actions taken by President Joe Biden.

President Biden pushed several anti-gun executive orders that curtailed the rights of American gun owners. These include trying to reclassify pistols equipped with stabilizing devices as short-barreled rifles (SBR). The former occupant of the White House also instructed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to reclassify unfinished frames as firearms. The Biden Administration also enacted a zero-tolerance policy for minor mistakes made by federal firearms licensees (FFL) that increased FFL revocations by 500%. Finally, Biden ordered the ATF to change the engaged in the business rule that would require almost anyone selling a gun to get an FFL or transfer the firearm through an FFL. Many called this rule back door universal background checks (UBC).

The former White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention is also in the executive order’s crosshairs. Many gun rights advocates claimed the Office gave groups like Everytown, Giffords, and Brady an extraordinary amount of power over the White House’s gun policy. The controversial Office was shuttered shortly after Trump returned to the Oval Office. Gun rights advocates claim that the former White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention wasn’t about making Americans safer but about infringing on the right to bear arms.

Ms. Bondi must also review all litigation that the Department of Justice (DOJ) and ATF are currently involved in or could be involved in the future. She must see if it affects Americans’ right to keep and bear arms. This action could mean that the ATF and the DOJ choose not to defend some current cases challenging gun laws and rules. This change could mean that the DOJ enters into consent decrees with the plaintiffs, ending costly litigation that the ATF is currently defending.

BREAKING @realDonaldTrump just issued an Executive Order “to assess any ongoing infringements of the Second Amendment rights of our citizens, and present a proposed plan of action… to protect the [rights] of all Americans.” pic.twitter.com/yvCIUJnQ5E

— Gun Owners of America (@GunOwners) February 7, 2025

The ATF must review all classifications of firearms and ammunition. This action refers to reclassifying pistols equipped with braces and unfinished frames. This change will also apply to ammunition that the ATF banned from import because of a change in classification to “armor piercing.” The Second Amendment community would welcome any changes to restore their gun rights. Ms. Bondi will work with the domestic policy advisor to establish a process for implementing any changes.

Gun rights groups celebrated the executive order and felt it was a step forward in the right direction.

“Gun owners fought hard to elect a president who would take a sledgehammer to Biden’s unconstitutional gun control policies, and today, President Trump proved he’s serious about that fight, said Gun Owners of America Director of Federal Affairs Aidan Johnston. “We hope that this executive order is just the first of many victories reestablishing our Second Amendment rights during the Trump administration. GOA will not rest until every illegal gun grab from the Biden administration is fully repealed and the Second Amendment is fully restored.”

“It is reassuring that after four long years of the executive branch assaulting our Second Amendment rights that the Trump Administration is investigating avenues to undo the damage inflicted by the prior administration,” said SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut. “We look forward to seeing tangible results benefiting gun owners and the individual liberty of every American.”

“We are delighted that President Trump is following through on his promises to gun owners during the campaign,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “We are particularly grateful to see he is directing the Attorney General to examine all orders, regulations and other actions taken by the Biden administration affecting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding American citizens during Joe Biden’s entire term in office.”

“The American Suppressor Association applauds President Trump’s signing of an executive order today to protect and expand the Second Amendment rights of all Americans,” said Knox Williams, ASA President and Executive Director. “On Behalf of millions of law-abiding gun owners, we’d like to thank President Trump for his fearless leadership to protect our Second Amendment rights. This is the first administration in history to explicitly tackle unacceptable delays in form processing times. Their commitment to review ATF’s classification of firearms, including suppressors and other items regulated under the National Firearms Act, is an important step to ending the bureaucratic stranglehold on our industry. We look forward to working alongside President Trump and his team to fix our broken system and restore common sense to our firearms laws.”

While pro-liberty groups celebrated the executive order, anti-gun organizations vented their frustration.

“Donald Trump waited until Friday night to issue an Executive Order rolling back lifesaving gun measures because he knows it will be incredibly unpopular,” a representative for Giffords said.

“Unfortunately, this comes as no surprise,” said a Brady United spokesperson. “But we have been preparing! The American people support gun safety. We will not back down.”

“The bipartisan, life-saving, and extremely popular progress on gun safety made under the leadership of the Biden Administration is consistent with the Second Amendment, which is why 15 Senate Republicans supported the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act,” said an Everytown spokesperson.

This executive order is a first step toward developing a road map to safeguard Americans’ right to keep and bear arms. There is a lot of work to undo the damage of the Biden administration, but gun owners now have a new hope.

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.