By Tanya Metaksa
What’s New—Trump Administration: BATFE federal agents are being used to combat street crime by the Trump Administration; Politics and the Judiciary, an interesting read about judicial vacancies. D.C.
Trump Administration.
On Aug. 19, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced that federal prosecutors would no longer pursue felony charges against individuals for unlawfully carrying registered rifles or shotguns in public in Washington, D.C.
In a statement, Pirro argued that the District’s blanket ban on such carrying violates Supreme Court precedents in cases like District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022), which affirm Second Amendment protections for bearing arms. Her office clarified that charges could still apply for related violent crimes, unregistered firearms, or trafficking. This policy shift aligns with broader Trump administration efforts to challenge local gun restrictions deemed unconstitutional.
On Aug. 20, Giffords.org reacted with the following comments on X.com: “The Trump admin is telling criminals they can ignore the law and walk around DC with AR-15s. That’s the opposite of ‘law-abiding gun owners.’ This is what happens when you care more about sucking up to gun industry CEOs than enforcing the law and reducing crime.”
Prominent gun control advocate Fred Guttenberg (father of a Parkland shooting victim and frequent collaborator with anti-gun groups) posted on X: “…more people will die because of this decision.” This reflects a common sentiment among gun control proponents that easing restrictions on public carry of long guns could exacerbate risks in urban areas like D.C. If official group responses emerge in the coming days, they are likely to echo similar concerns aboutundermining local gun laws and increasing potential for violence, consistent with their past opposition to similar rollbacks.
The Reload has an interesting article. https://thereload.com/gun-rights-groups-chafe-at-dc-takeover-tactics-gun-arrests/
On Aug. 22, in a press conference held in the Oval Office discussing the DC crime problems, President Donald J. Trump was asked about his position on nationwide reciprocal carry. He answered that “he was in favor of it” and that he was “a Second Amendment person.”
For further information, see below under D.C.
Politics and the Judiciary
One of the prerogatives of being President is the constitutionally granted ability to appoint judges with the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate. During his first term, Number 45 was influential in shaping the judiciary, with three Supreme Court Justices appointed and many other federal judges. Professor of Law Jonathan Adler, writing in Reason magazine, has an interesting article concerning judgeships available for Trump to appoint in the next three-plus years.
Adler states that Trump’s ability to reshape the judiciary will largely depend on whether incumbent judges, particularly those eligible for senior status or retirement, choose to step down and create vacancies. However, recent analysis from experts such as Russell Wheeler at the Brookings Institution suggests that there have been fewer retirements—especially among Republican-appointed judges—than is typical early in a presidential term.
Due in large part to Biden being the president with the most federal judicial appointments in a single term since Jimmy Carter, the question is whether Trump will be able to shift the balance of federal judges from Democrat to Republican. At present, Republican-appointed judges hold majorities in only six of the thirteen federal circuit courts of appeal, although there are more Republican than Democratic nominees.
The number of federal judges who will uphold Heller and Bruen is crucial to many Second Amendment cases currently working their way through the courts. Therefore, the question of potential judicial vacancies will determine the total number of Trump nominations.
State Legislatures
The following states are still in SESSION:
California, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin
D.C.: No, the Trump Administration has not entirely stopped enforcing gun laws in D.C. However, it has selectively stopped enforcing certain provisions, especially those that limit carrying registered rifles and shotguns, while still enforcing other parts of gun laws and boosting overall law enforcement efforts in the district to fight crime.
Additionally, under the administration’s “Making DC Safe and Beautiful Task Force,” the concealed carry permit process has been reduced from several months to an average of 4.6 days, and firearm registration wait times have dropped from four months to next-day or walk-in options. Appointments for permits and registration have been combined, and the task force is exploring further relaxations, such as allowing concealed carry in handbags, on public transit, or recognizing permits from other states (although some require DC City Council approval). This approach encourages compliance with remaining laws instead of stopping enforcement altogether.
These actions stem from the administration’s control over DC as a federal district, where the U.S. Attorney handles prosecutions for local crimes. While not a complete halt, the selective non-enforcement represents a substantive deregulation of DC’s historically strict gun regime.
