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When President Trump issued his Executive order, Protecting Second Amendment Rights<\/a>, directing U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi \u201cto assess any ongoing infringements of the Second Amendment rights of our citizens, and present a proposed plan of action to the President,\u201d I have to admit I was skeptical, especially with regards to scope. To the extent that I think we\u2019ll see something done that the next administration can\u2019t undo, I remain cautiously optimistic. However, we have witnessed Bondi\u2019s Department of Justice take action to the local level, announcing an investigation into the Los Angeles County Sheriff\u2019s Department<\/a> over CCW wait times and threatening additional investigations if other localities don\u2019t get with the Constitutional program. Perhaps then, it is no surprise that liberty-starved Second Amendment activists living behind enemy lines are reaching out to the DOJ and the Trump administration to highlight their plight with the pinko comrades in control of Illinois.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Illinois State Rifle Association<\/a> has a lengthy history when it comes to dealing with the state\u2019s oppressive outlook on the Second Amendment. The organization has weathered an onslaught of anti-gun legislation, continuing to stand its ground and now seizing the oppertunity to go on offense by calling in the U.S. Attorney General and the Trump administration to assess a multitude of violations of the Second Amendment rights of Illinois\u2019 citizens.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s timely that Attorney General Bondi would want to come in and talk to us\u2026 She should tackle kind of the most onerous states in the nation when it comes to anti-gun laws and so we certainly welcome anything that they want to do to kind of look at this process,\u201d says Ed Sullivan<\/a> from the Illinois State Rifle Association.<\/p>\n The timing couldn\u2019t be better, as multiple Illinois gun laws are currently tied up in the state and federal litigation process, including bans on firearms in common use and the state\u2019s authoritarian mark of the beast known as the Firearm Owner\u2019s ID card. Of course, the issue of firearms in common use has already been decided by the Supreme Court, and historical analysis required by the High Court\u2019s decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen<\/em><\/a> should have the matter covered, but criminals have little reverence for the law, instructions from SCOTUS, or the Constitution itself.\u00a0<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve ever wondered why those on the left can\u2019t figure out that gun laws only affect the law-abiding who will follow them and not violent criminals, you need to reconfigure your thinking. Democrats understand this concept perfectly, but they empathize with those criminals as seen in their very similar patterns of behavior. Look at the constant resistance to pro-Second Amendment rulings by the Supreme Court and the destructive and violent actions of liberal activists<\/a>, including recent attacks on Tesla vehicles, showrooms, and charging stations<\/a>.<\/p>\n As of January 2023, an Illinois ban remains in effect on more than 170 semi-automatic firearms and magazines with capacities of more than 10 rounds for rifles and 15 rounds for handguns. States like Illinois, California, New York, Washington, Colorado, Massachusetts, and New Jersey have been unrelenting, challenging the Supreme Court and the current administration through increased defiance and by enacting more sweeping gun control measures since the inauguration. In the past, these states have run roughshod over their constituents and the Second Amendment without a word from the federal government whose foundational duty it is to protect Americans\u2019 inalienable rights enumerated in the Constitution. But now, it seems that rogue states may get some pushback from the DOJ.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis Department of Justice will not stand idly by while States and localities infringe on the Second Amendment rights of ordinary, law-abiding Americans\u2026 The Second Amendment is not a second-class right, and under my watch, the Department will actively enforce the Second Amendment just like it actively enforces other fundamental constitutional rights,\u201d says Attorney General Pam Bondi<\/a>.<\/p>\n I think this may be the first time I have ever seen the federal government step in to intervene on state and local Second Amendment infringements, and it is a welcome change. I do want to stress, however rare as it seems, that this is the main purpose of our federal government, defending and upholding America\u2019s Constitutional guarantees to its citizens. Perhaps this duty is something that a reformed ATF can be set loose on. The DOJ could direct the agency to maintain its work with FFLs and other administrative tasks but set its investigative and legal actions to work against those who violate Americans\u2019 Second Amendment rights. I encourage all pro-gun organizations across the country, and especially in Democrat strongholds, to follow in the footsteps of the Illinois State Rifle Association and get proactive by contacting the Department of Justice and getting on Pam Bondi\u2019s radar.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n