The Firearms Policy Coalition is primarily known for its litigation in support of the Second Amendment, but the group is engaging in some high-level lobbying efforts as well. FPC president Brandon Combs says the group has shared a list of recommendations on executive actions the Trump administration could take to bolster our right to keep and bear arms, and during a follow up meeting with White House officials last week, the organization was told that their ideas "are being strongly considered", with administration officials expressing a "willingness to entertain additional suggestions."
So what does FPC have in mind?
Among numerous other proposed reforms, FPC is encouraging the White House and DOJ to:
- Establish a Second Amendment Czar – A dedicated official to coordinate and implement the Administration's pro-rights policy agenda across the executive branch, from DOJ criminal prosecutions to civil litigation, the ATF, Department of Commerce, and more, to ensure that all federal departments and agencies are aligned around protecting the right to keep and bear arms. This role would also serve as a liaison to ensure Second Amendment concerns are consistently addressed at the highest levels.
- Create and Staff a First and Second Amendment Section Within the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division – A specialized section within the DOJ dedicated to addressing and litigating against unconstitutional laws, policies, and practices of state and local officials that violate the right to keep and bear arms and free speech. This is particularly important to residents and visitors of jurisdictions that are openly hostile to free speech and the Second Amendment, like California, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Connecticut, Hawaii, and others.
- Enact Massive National Firearms Act (NFA) Arms Reforms – A comprehensive review and modernization initiative to remove or update outdated rules and processes, increase access to NFA-regulated arms, and speed processing with point-of-purchase processing and virtually instant background check responses, among other things.
Each of these proposals would be a substantial step forward for gun owners, and the Trump administration may have already dropped a hint about its plans for using the DOJ to protect our Second Amendment rights when Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the Civil Rights Division had opened up an investigation into the practices of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department when it comes to issuing carry permits.
Carving out a specific department within the Civil Rights Division that focuses exclusively on violations of our First and Second Amendment rights is arguably long overdue. There's also no shortage of infringements to investigate; from the refusal of some states to recognize out-of-state carry licenses and no ability for non-residents to acquire an in-state permit to broadly written "sensitive places" laws where concealed carry is prohibited, to name just a few. A dedicated First and Second Amendment Section within DOJ would at the very least complement the litigation being done by groups like FPC, Second Amendment Foundation, Gun Owners of America, and the NRA, and could provide some actual teeth to good rulings by courts that are subsequently ignored or countermanded by state and local governments.
A Second Amendment Czar would also be a welcome addition to the White House, though I wonder if having a sole figure responsible for coordinating 2A policy throughout the executive branch wouldn't result in some high-level power struggles. Would Bondi push back on a czar's recommendation about prosecuting (or not) a particular case, for instance? I'm not opposed to the idea at all, but I'm just not sure that having a Second Amendment Czar would work as smoothly or efficiently as we'd like.
Reforming the NFA (and the Gun Control Act) should be a top 2A priority for the Trump administration, though there's only so much the executive branch can do without getting Congress involved. And as necessary as some of these reforms are, let's not forget that we still haven't seen the current administration formally propose the repeal of any of the ATF rules put in place under Joe Biden's watch. Presumably those orders are forthcoming, but I'd say that any moves to reform the NFA are probably going to take a back seat to repealing Biden's gun rules, and who knows when that will happen.
It's good to know that the White House is listening to Second Amendment organizations and acknowledging their concerns. And it's not like the administration has done absolutely nothing on 2A issues since Trump was sworn in for his second term. Combs commended Trump for the "steps he has taken to protect the rights of gun owners", while adding that he and the FPC "eagerly await his next actions."
Late this afternoon FPC also posted this, so it sounds like those next steps may be imminent.
Three important reforms were announced, including the repeal of the Biden Federal Firearms Administrative Action Policy and Procedure (also known as the "Zero Tolerance" policy) as well as review and revisiting of the Biden "Pistol Brace Ban" and "Engaged in the Business" rules.
— Firearms Policy Coalition (@gunpolicy) April 7, 2025
My colleague Tom Knighton will have more on this in an upcoming piece here at Bearing Arms, but that announcement is very good news... and hopefully just the start of a sustained effort on the part of the Trump administration to secure and strengthen our Second Amendment rights.
