DOJ Announces Rulemaking Package Aimed At Protecting Second Amendment Freedoms

DOJ Announces Rulemaking Package Aimed At Protecting Second Amendment Freedoms
For the past several months, many gun-rights organizations have been very vocal about the Trump Administration not doing enough to protect Second Amendment rights. After all, in his Protecting Second Amendment Rights executive order, the president instructed the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to examine current laws that might infringe on Americans’ Second Amendment rights.
“The Second Amendment is an indispensable safeguard of security and liberty. It has preserved the right of the American people to protect ourselves, our families, and our freedoms since the founding of our great Nation,” the executive order stated. “Because it is foundational to maintaining all other rights held by Americans, the right to keep and bear arms must not be infringed.”
More than 14 months later, it seems the administration has put its money where its mouth is. On April 29, acting U.S. Attorney General (AG) Todd Blanche held a signing ceremony where he released a landmark rulemaking package from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). And unlike the Final Rules issued during the Biden Administration, these are actually favorable to gun owners and the Second Amendment.
“The Second Amendment is not a second-class right,” Blanche said at the signing ceremony. “This Department of Justice is ending the weaponization of federal authority against law-abiding gun owners. We will continue to vigorously defend their rights as the Constitution demands.”
Robert Cekada, who was just confirmed as ATF director, also spoke at the ceremony.
“ATF’s mission is to protect public safety and enforce the law—and these reforms reflect our commitment to doing that through regulations that are clear, legally sound, and narrowly tailored to that purpose,” Cekada said. “Our enforcement focus from here on out is on willful violators and criminal actors, not inadvertent compliance issues by responsible owners and licensees.”
The rulemaking package includes 34 policy changes that will, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), significantly change how the DOJ and ATF protect Second Amendment rights and regulate the firearm industry. All the changes resulted from the review ordered by President Trump in his executive order issued in February 2025, shortly after he took office.
Notably, the final rules include the rescission of the “stabilizing brace” and “engaged in the business” rules. Blanche also provided summary insights into proposed rules, including updates to Form 4473 for the commercial transfer of firearms, clarifying interstate transportation of firearms under the Gun Control Act and recordkeeping requirements for Federal Firearms Licensees.






















