By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
A new report in The Trace—the pro-gun control news organ backed by billionaire gun prohibitionist Michael Bloomberg—is heralding the “blue tsunami” which swept Democrats into power from Capitol Hill into previously red state legislatures as great news for the citizen disarmament movement.
As suggested by the article, “In the absence of comprehensive federal legislation, states are left to regulate guns. Over the past two decades, blue states have tightened their gun laws while red states have loosened them. Last week’s landslide unexpectedly opened up new avenues in states where tighter gun restrictions had been largely written off.”
The Washington Times is likewise reporting, “Gun owners in eight states thought they were living in relatively safe Second Amendment environments until last week, when Democrats swept the midterm elections.” The report digs into the situation in Texas, where anti-gunners have already pre-filed nearly two dozen bills dealing with guns in a state where, even two months ago, the likelihood of such legislation ever moving out of committee would have been dim.
And Larry Keane, senior vice president and general counsel at the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) writes in his latest Op-Ed, “Everytown for Gun Safety, the national gun control group founded and funded by billionaire Michael Bloomberg, celebrated antigun Democrat midterm victories during a Nov. 5 virtual townhall briefing and outlined its next moves.
“Everytown intends to defend bans on commonly owned Modern Sporting Rifles (MSRs) at the U.S. Supreme Court, mobilize activists to shape public opinion and press artificial intelligence (AI) companies to restrict firearm-related content,” Keane says.
The consolidated cases of Viramontes v. Cook County (Illinois) and Grant v. Higgins (Connecticut), are scheduled for oral argument on Wednesday, Dec. 2 before the U.S. Supreme Court. Both cases were spearheaded by the Second Amendment Foundation, with various partners in each case.
A ruling that modern semiautomatic rifles and pistols are protected by the Second Amendment just might throw gun regulation into the proverbial “cocked hat.” A decision is not expected until sometime next June, and in the meantime, anti-gunners in state legislatures could be busy in anticipation of a constitutional loss.
The Baltimore Sun is reporting, “Gun control groups such as Everytown for Gun Safety, Brady United Against Gun Violence, and Giffords hailed the Democratic wins, with Brady United vowing to ‘counter the Trump administration’s deadly ‘guns everywhere’ agenda, which has put millions of lives at risk.’”
The report failed to mention that in the past, Everytown and Grady United had attributed this so-called “guns everywhere agenda” to the NRA. The rhetoric hasn’t changed, just the target.
Gallup Poll Shift
While this is playing out in the media, a new Gallup survey released Thursday shows some subtle, but significant changes in public attitudes about guns.
According to Gallup, 56 percent of Americans say laws covering the sale of firearms should be made more strict, while 27 percent think they should remain as is, and 15 percent want them made less strict. This shows more people than before think gun laws should be less strict, which is three points higher than last year, Gallup said. Could it be that more people buying firearms for the first time—the “liberal gun owners” discussed in a report at The Guardian Thursday—have discovered that there is not such an “easy access” to guns as they might have previously believed?
Gallup’s Oct. 1-19 survey revealed that “partisans continue to have markedly different views on gun laws.” The new poll shows only 16 percent of Republicans favor tougher laws, while half favor keeping gun laws as they are and 31 percent favor loosening current gun laws.
“This is the first time in Gallup’s trend that more Republicans favor less strict gun laws over stricter ones,” the polling firm said. “The current survey also represents the lowest level of Republican support for more strict laws and the highest for less strict laws.”
Gallup also found that support among Independents for stricter laws has slipped from 63 percent in 2025 to 54 percent now. That’s a significant drop of nine percentage points. The poll revealed that 28 percent of Independents now favor keeping gun laws as they are, and 16 percent saying gun laws should be made less strict.
Can Trump Hold the Line?
While Democrats have captured Congress, any legislation they pass must still land on Donald Trump’s desk, and he has shown a strong devotion to the Second Amendment, despite what some may consider lapses, such as banning bump stocks during his first term.
Under his second administration, American gun owners have seen the Department of Justice shift focus to defending the Second Amendment, primarily through creation of a Second Amendment Section in the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division. That has never happened before and it is a complete 180-degree shift from the Biden administration’s creation of an Office of Gun Violence Prevention in he White House. That office was dissolved immediately when Trump took office in January 2025.
Any federal gun control law will face Trump’s veto, but on the other hand, with Democrats controlling the Senate—particularly the Senate Judiciary Committee—American gun owners will not likely see any further appointments of pro-rights federal judges or Supreme Court justices. Some speculate it could be a decade or more before the High Court and federal courts see conservatives filling any seats.
The bottom line is that the next two years may see action on guns confined to state legislatures, with nothing of significance happening at the federal level. It now falls on Republicans to field a viable successor to President Trump; someone who can win in 2028 and remain true to the Second Amendment. Perhaps by then, Americans who sat out the midterms or even helped elect Democrats this time will have either suffered “buyer’s remorse” or figured out that the only way to protect their right to keep and bear arms is to vote.
