President Donald Trump asked the Department of Justice to review firearms rules and regulations drafted by former President Joe Biden’s administration, setting up a likely reversal of many of those policies.
Trump, in an executive action issued Friday, directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to examine all “orders, regulations, guidance, plans, international agreements, and other actions of executive departments and agencies” to determine any “ongoing infringements” of the Second Amendment, and present a plan to him within 30 days on how to protect gun rights.
What can a president do completely unilaterally for gun rights? Here’s a list:
Repeal Bush 41’s assault weapon import ban
Redefine “armor-piercing ammo” to re-allow banned ammo types
Redefine 922(r) out of existence
Bring back kitchen table FFLs, and make a new internet-sales FFL (this is in the 2017 ATF white paper)
Repeal the photos and fingerprints parts of ATF Rule 41F (an Obama-era rule change), so that trusts don’t need photos and fingerprints for their members. (Careful here: Rule 41F also changed “you need CLEO approval” to “you just need to notify your CLEO, but they can’t stop you” — that was a very important positive change to keep.)
Expansive allowance for pistol braces. Make it official that anything goes.
Grant a blanket lawful purposes exemption for gun possession to people in the country on nonimmigrant visas (tourists, students, etc.)
Machine gun amnesty
Presumptive approvals for Form 1s and Form 4s. They approve it instantly, and then can claw it back months later or whatever if you get denied. This is how NICS checks already work — if you don’t get a yes/no within 3 days, you can take the gun home and then they just claw it back if you eventually get rejected.
C&R firearms are defined as any gun more than 50 years old, or any gun that the ATF deems to be a C&R. They could add a massive influx of modern guns to the C&R list. Basically all the cool ‘70s–‘90s guns. There’s no reason the Steyr AUG and MP5 and FAL and the like shouldn’t be considered classics. Hell, AKs too.
Trump ordered US Attorney General Pam Bondi to review all of Joe Biden’s unconstitutional gun control Executive Orders to assess ongoing infringements of the Second Amendment.
“Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Attorney General shall examine all orders, regulations, guidance, plans, international agreements, and other actions of executive departments and agencies (agencies) to assess any ongoing infringements of the Second Amendment rights of our citizens, and present a proposed plan of action to the President, through the Domestic Policy Advisor, to protect the Second Amendment rights of all Americans,” Trump’s EO said.
Pam Bondi will review “All Presidential and agencies’ actions from January 2021 through January 2025 that purport to promote safety but may have impinged on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens,” the EO said.
In Colon v. BATF, a pistol brace/SBR case in the 11th circuit, the BATF defendants have asked for a “pause” in the proceedings pending a review of the Trump 2A EO:
Pam Bondi Fires Top ATF Official As Trump Admin Guts Biden Officials Throughout Government
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday fired Pamela Hicks, the general counsel for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
“I have had the privilege of serving in the federal civil service for almost 28 years, including 23 as an attorney for the Department of Justice,” Hicks continued. “Serving as ATF Chief Counsel has been the highest honor of my career and working with the people at ATF and throughout the Department has been a pleasure.”
Gun Owners of America said that Hicks “oversaw the enforcement of every Biden infringement of the Second Amendment since taking the position in 2021.”
