By Tanya Metaksa
What’s New—Trump Administration: Trump Executive Orders; Trump comments after FSU shooting; More Attacks on Second Amendment righys; Solicitor General John Sauer: reexamining Biden Administration position on SCOTUS cases; Louisiana: the last state to convene its legislature; Maine: The Joint Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife tabled LD1364, a bill to study the use of lead-based ammunition; Montana: HB809, preventing localities from enacting “red flag” laws, is going to Governor Greg Gianforte’s desk; Michigan: On April 16, 2025, the Senate passed the red flag expansion bill, SB111; North Carolina: The House Judiciary Committee passed HB38; Oklahoma: House Government Oversight Committee passed SB500; Texas: SB1065, awaiting vote in the Senate;.Washington: HB1163, establishing a firearm permit before purchase, is on its way to the Governor; West Virginia: The legislature adjourned.
Trump Administration and Executive Orders
In a YouTube video, Attorney Mark W. Smith explains how Trump’s Executive Orders targeting law firms are another arrow in his quiver to support the Second Amendment. I have always wished that there would be an administration that used all of its vast powers to support such rights. It was always the government and the anti-gun groups aligned against law-abiding gun owners.
With Trump’s orders restricting some law firms from obtaining top-secret security clearances, it is becoming more difficult for these multi-million dollar groups, such as Brady Center, Everytown, and Giffords, to hire such law firms in their fight to curtail gun owner rights.
Thus, due to these executive orders, we have large law firms with vast resources doing pro bono work supporting government laws and regulations. Now, these gun control groups are being forced to spend their dollars and staff on access to pro bono law firms. Thus, they are writing amicus briefs in support of these firms. For example, the headline on a Giffords press release dated April 15, reads,
National gun violence prevention groups respond to the Trump administration’s attack on law firms Perkins Coie LLP, Jenner & Block LLP, and Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP.
In these amicus briefs, they argue that Trump’s Executive Orders threaten their access to legal counsel, undermining their First Amendment rights to trash the Second Amendment. I, for one, am glad to see them waste their resources fighting the Trump administration rather than attacking the Second Amendment rights of all Americans.
Anti-Second Amendment Groups attack the Trump Administration on the investigation of the
Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and cutting federal employees in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Here come the anti-Second Amendment groups and their media supporters attacking Attorney General Pam Bondi. In early April, the New York Times published an article titled “Trump Administration to Roll Back Array of Gun Control Measures.” Lee Williams called it “the most anti-gun news story seen in quite a while.”
For those who have forgotten, the CDC was at the forefront of so-called research to support any and all anti-Second Amendment efforts since the beginning of the Obama presidency. In this article Giffords spokeperson was quoted as saying that President Trump supports “reckless dealers who are willing to sell guns to traffickers and criminals,” and Brady is attacking the Trump administration with a webpage entitled DOGE-LED CDC LAYOFFS WILL DECIMATE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF GUN VIOLENCE; EXACERBATE THE UNIQUELY AMERICAN EPIDEMIC. After the attack at FSU on Good Friday, when you click on their home page, a banner asking for contributions appears!
The attacks on our Second Amendment rights are still alive and well, unfortunately
Solicitor General John Sauer on current litigation
In the Judicial Report published on March 19, I listed three cases dealing with lawsuits that have emerged concerning federal law regarding 18-to-20-year-olds and their right to own firearms. Now, Solicitor Sauer has asked SCOTUS to give him more time to analyse the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals verdict in Reese v. ATF, which was one of those decisions. Attorney Smith, on his YouTube channel, reports on what Sauer has written to SCOTUS: “Pursuant to rules 13.5 and 30.2 of the rules of this Court, the Solicitor General on behalf of the ATF Daniel Driscoll, acting director of the ATF, and Pam Bondi, Attorney General, respectfully request a 30-day extension of time to and including May 30, 2025 within which to file a petition for a writ of certiorary to review the judgment of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit of this case.
“The solicitor general has not yet determined whether to file a petition for a writ of certiorari in this case. The additional time sought in this application is needed to continue consultation within the government and to assess the legal and practical impact of the Court of Appeals ruling. Additional time is also needed, if the petition is authorized, to permit its preparation and its printing.”
Respectfully submitted.
John Sauer
Solicitor General
Trump Comments After FSU Shooting
On April 17, a shooter using a gun stolen from his mother, a Florida State Police Officer, started firing at FSU students in Tallahassee, FL. Two people, non-students, are dead and six others are wounded. After this murderous event, a reporter asked President Trump when he’s going to violate or strip away our 2nd Amendment rights. President Trump answered, “The gun doesn’t do the shooting, people do…. I have an obligation to protect the 2nd Amendment, and I will always protect the 2nd amendment.”
State Legislatures
Idaho, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New Mexico, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming have adjourned.
Louisiana: The legislature convened on April 14.
Maine: The Joint Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife held hearings on three hunting bills of interest: LD1364, a bill to study the use of lead-based ammunition, was tabled; Two bills: LD1322, which encourages Maine to begin a two-year pilot program to promote youth participation in hunting, and LD1343, which clarifies the definition of “harvest “ to include hunting, fishing, and trapping, were considered in a work session on April 16, 2025.
Montana: HB809, preventing localities from enacting “red flag” laws, is going to Governor Greg Gianforte’s desk.
Michigan: On April 16, the Senate passed the red flag expansion bill, SB111. SB0224, prohibits manufacture, sale, or possession of a bump stock. Introduced on April 17 and referred to Committee on Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety.
North Carolina: The House Judiciary Committee passed HB38, prohibiting payment processors from using firearm-specific merchant category codes for firearms, ammunition, and components, on April 15, 2025,
North Dakota: HB1588, a bill to enhance the state’s carry law, is going to Governor Kelly Armstrong.
Oklahoma: On April 17, the House Government Oversight Committee passed SB500, prohibiting payment processors from using firearm-specific merchant category codes for firearms, ammunition, and components. The bill is scheduled for a vote on the House floor on April 29.
Texas: SB1065, prohibiting lessees of publicly owned property from restricting firearms on such property, passed the Senate State Affairs Committee and now goes to the Senate for a vote.
Washington: HB1163, establishing a firearm permit before purchase, passed the House and the Senate on April 14.
West Virginia: The legislature adjourned.
