Weekly Spotlight 1/23/25 -1/29/25
The New Administration and Congress Must Protect the Second Amendment
As America ushers in a new political era, it is an opportune time to reflect on the state of Second Amendment rights and determine how our elected leaders can better work alongside the new administration to safeguard these fundamental freedoms. The Second Amendment is a cornerstone of American liberty, yet our right to bear arms is consistently under attack, and its protection requires strong leadership and constant vigilance.
The new Trump administration and the unified Congress must uphold their commitments to preserving the rights of law-abiding gun owners. Our leaders must prioritize Second Amendment rights for all Americans, including with much-overdo legislative reforms that infringe on our fundamental right to self-defense.
One of the most important issues facing gun owners today is reciprocity. Currently, states have varying laws related to concealed carry permits, which has created a patchwork of regulations that cause confusion and could potentially put law-abiding citizens at risk when traveling across state lines. A clear path forward for Congress is to pass H.R. 38, the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, sponsored by Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC), which ensures responsible gun owners who are legally permitted to carry a concealed firearm in one state can carry it in any other state that issues concealed carry permits.
Furthermore, instead of implementing blanket measures that infringe upon the rights of law-abiding gun owners—such as so-called assault weapons bans—our leaders should focus on more effective ways to address many of the underlying issues that cause criminals to commit acts of violence. Strengthening laws that penalize criminals, who by definition do not follow the law, and often use a firearm to commit a crime, should be a priority, rather than sweeping measures to strip law-abiding gun owners of their Second Amendment rights.
Finally, it is critical for both the administration and Congress to stand firm against attempts to erode Second Amendment protections. So-called “red flag” laws, for example, have sparked significant debate at the state level because they infringe upon due process. The risk of misuse and abuse of these measures is high, particularly if individuals can be denied their rights without a fair hearing. These proposals look to strip law-abiding Americans of their God-given right to self-defense.
Our leaders must remember that by restricting the rights of law-abiding citizens, we undermine the ability of all Americans to defend themselves and safely exercise their rights. Our mission as defenders of the Second Amendment, should always be to strengthen, not weaken, our constitutional protections, and to ensure that all citizens have access to their rights without infringement.
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OTHER NEWS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
The Reload: Trump Skips Guns In Flurry Of Day One Executive Orders
Gun policy did not factor into the new President’s immediate priorities. Shortly after President Donald Trump officially swore in for his second term on Monday, he quickly signed dozens of sweeping executive orders to walk back several Biden-era policies and fulfill multiple prominent campaign promises. His actions included declaring a “national energy emergency,” a bid to end birthright citizenship, withdrawal from the World Health Organization and Paris Climate Agreement, a full pardon for roughly 1,500 January 6th defendants, and more.
The Reload: Analysis: Rahimi Makes An Impact
The Supreme Court’s latest Second Amendment decision has been relatively impotent since the Court handed it down a few months back. But, this week, it inspired an appeals court to reverse a sweeping ruling against a federal firearms prohibition. On Monday, a three-judge panel for the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously upheld 18 U.S.C. § 922(n), a federal provision barring those under felony indictment from obtaining new firearms. The panel reversed a decision handed down shortly after 2022’s New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen. It concluded, largely thanks to the Supreme Court’s subsequent guidance in US v. Rahimi, that restricting the acquisition of guns by those under indictment comports with the “principles that underpin” the nation’s historical tradition of firearms regulation.
Portland Press Herald (Maine): Republican Proposal Would Repeal 72-Hour Wait On Firearms Purchases
Maine Republicans are bringing forward a proposal to repeal the 72-hour waiting period on firearms purchases that was put in place last spring in the wake of the mass shooting in Lewiston and is the subject of a federal lawsuit brought by opponents. House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham, R-Winter Harbor, is sponsoring a bill to repeal the law, which was approved by narrow margins in the House of Representatives and Senate, and which Democratic Gov. Janet Mills allowed to become law without her signature.
The Trace: ATF Relaxes Zero-Tolerance Policy For Lawbreaking Gun Dealers
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives quietly softened its zero-tolerance policy toward lawbreaking gun dealers last year — after a wave of gun shop owners complained that the agency was shutting them down for minor infractions. The ATF amended the policy in August, but the changes came to light only on January 16 as part of a lawsuit against the Biden administration. The new order clarifies the legal threshold that should be met before the agency revokes a gun store’s license for violations uncovered during an inspection.
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