Pam Bondi is now the U.S. Attorney General. She was Trump's pick from the start, so far as we can tell, and she made it through the confirmation process that has largely been hellish for most Trump nominees.
She's no doubt expected to step into the role and right the ship at the Department of Justice which has been strangely partisan for far too long.
However, despite being Trump's pick for the role, there are concerns.
In particular, the Gun Owners of America have a big problem with her record.
From a press release sent out by the organization:
Gun Owners of America (GOA) is sounding the alarm following the Senate confirmation of Pam Bondi as Attorney General, vowing to hold her accountable in defending Americans’ Second Amendment rights.
While Bondi has supported some pro-gun measures, her tenure as Florida Attorney General also raises serious red flags. She endorsed the controversial Parkland gun control laws, which included “red flag” confiscation orders, a ban on firearm ownership for 18-20-year-olds, and a bump stock ban. Bondi also defended Florida’s ban on open carry and defended the 18-20 year old gun ban in court, which infringes on the rights of law-abiding gun owners. This is in stark contrast to other Florida state Attorneys General like Ashley Moody, who recently declined to defend Florida’s unconstitutional open carry ban after GOA filed a lawsuit.
GOA remains committed to a “no-compromise” defense of the Second Amendment, urging gun owners to stay engaged and ready to hold leaders accountable.
Erich Pratt, Senior Vice President of GOA, stated:
"Gun owners have seen firsthand how an anti-gun Attorney General can abuse their power to undermine the Constitution. Pam Bondi’s confirmation is a stark reminder that we must stay vigilant to ensure she defends, rather than dismantles, our God-given rights.”
Aidan Johnston, GOA’s Director of Federal Affairs, added:
"Our team in Washington, D.C. stands ready to work with Ms. Bondi and the Trump Administration to restore the Second Amendment rights lost during the Biden Administration. However, the Second Amendment is non-negotiable, and we will hold Attorney General Bondi’s feet to the fire and fight any attempts to further erode Americans’ right to keep and bear arms.”
In short, Bondi isn't the worst choice Trump could have made as attorney general. She's also not the best option, either, in part because of her vehement defense of Florida's post-Parkland gun control efforts.
Does that mean she'll be inclined to direct the ATF to be more problematic for gun owners? Or, will she toe the official Trump line of being pro-gun and just do as she's told with regard to firearm regulation?
Well, I don't know about the latter, but I don't think she'll be quite as bad as the former. As noted by GOA, Bondi does support some pro-gun measures, which means she's not nearly as likely to try and go scorched earth on our gun rights as whoever Kamala Harris might have nominated.
But I do think it's important that the White House maintain some degree of observation over what Bondi does and doesn't do regarding gun rights in this country.
I hope my concerns over Bondi are misplaced. Unfortunately, we're at a point where only time will tell for certain.
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