Will the New U.S. Attorney General Defend the 2nd Amendment? 

Will the new AG defend the Second Amendment? That’s what’s on everyone’s mind. Let’s look at one of her recent actions.

In a recent memo from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, she notes that she has decided to shift resources within the ATF from alcohol and tobacco but has decided to leave funds in place for the purpose of firearm-related issues. To give more resources toward immigration enforcement, drug smuggling, human trafficking, and stopping cartels and gangs, Pam Bondi will be shifting funds from the area of alcohol and tobacco to the general area of immigration. Her memo clearly states that no funds related to firearm issues will be changed. Many people are looking at this as an anti-2nd Amendment move by the new Attorney General. Let’s look at what she said and evaluate it.

The memo from new Attorney General Pam Bondi reads,

To free resources to address more pressing priorities, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) shall shift resources from its alcohol and tobacco enforcement programs to focus on matters relating to the other priorities set forth herein.” “No resources shall be diverted from the ATF’s regulatory responsibilities, such as federal firearms licenses and background checks.

At first glance, it looks like funds will stay in place for the full enforcement of gun regulations by the ATF. It’s not a far stretch to think that Pam Bondi would support the further enforcement of gun regulations. As we know, and despite the fact she claims to support the 2nd Amendment, she has already publicly stated that she supports Extreme Risk Protection Orders. Extreme Risk Protection Orders, also known as Red Flag Laws, are nothing more than the confiscation of firearms without due process. As a side note, the serialization and registration of firearms plays into the hands of law enforcement and judges who execute these types of unConstitutional firearm confiscations because prior to confiscating firearms via Red Flag Laws, you must first know where they are located, which is why serialization in conjunction with Red Flag Laws could be detrimental to our 2nd Amendment.

The general consensus throughout the 2nd Amendment community is that Pam Bondi is not a friend to the 2nd Amendment because of her stance on Red Flag Laws. Regarding past gun-related attacks, this is what she had to say when she was Attorney General of Florida:

I will follow the laws of my state of Florida and our Country, of course. Regarding any gun laws, I worked that shooting, meaning I was there when 17 family members were notified–I was there–that their children were murdered. Also, Pulse nightclub. I also went to Nevada to help with the MGM shooting.

By mentioning these incidents and the family members being notified, it may indicate an emotional response to these incidents. The question still unanswered is whether her emotional response will influence her to support GUN-CONTROL or CRIMINAL-CONTROL.

When we look at things like the Zero-Tolerance Policy and its enforcement by the ATF, we understand that the agency will do just about anything to put gun shops out of business. A lack of trust in the ATF has been developed, and it’s generally understood that any issues that put an FFL out of compliance are welcomed by this rogue organization.

Often gun shops would look to the ATF for clarification on a wide variety of matters for the purpose of staying in compliance and following the law but would not always get the information they needed. There is a general concern that ATF inspectors and agents are not really there to help FFLs with licensing compliance, and some might argue that they intentionally make the business of firearm retail as complicated and difficult as possible in the hopes of finding justification for license revocation.

Now let’s go back and reread what Attorney General Bondi said with respect to firearm-related funds within the ATF. Her memo clearly stated that

NO RESOURCES SHALL BE DIVERTED FROM THE ATF’S REGULATORY RESPONSIBILITIES SUCH AS FEDERAL FIREARM LICENSES, AND BACKGROUND CHECKS.

The keywords here are “REGULATORY RESPONSIBILITIES.”

Does the ATF have a “regulatory responsibility” to assist FFLs in staying in compliance by giving them the data and resources they need, or will the ATF have a “regulatory responsibility” to make the sale and permitting of firearms as difficult as possible for FFLs and gun owners? These are the questions we have about Pam Bondi. In which direction is she going with respect to the ATF’s oversight of firearms in America? Will she make sure the ATF does not infringe on the 2nd Amendment, or will she give the agency all the resources it needs to run gun shops out of business?

Attorney General Bondi’s memo doesn’t look good on the surface, but since she is restructuring the way the ATF functions with respect to immigration and with the keywords “regulatory responsibilities” she noted in her memo as they relate to firearms, she could very well be making an attempt at keeping the ATF in line by forcing the agency to do what’s right on behalf of FFLs, gun owners, and the 2nd Amendment… Or not…

You can bet we will be keeping a very close eye on everything Attorney General Pam Bondi does with respect to these issues.