“We not too long ago obtained your March 27, 2025, message to the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Division of Justice (DOJ) relating to firearm legal guidelines and Second Modification rights,” a reply letter from Hadiza L. Buge, Appearing Assistant Deputy Director, Public and Governmental Affairs, to an activist who had filed a civil rights grievance towards the state of Illinois’ requirement to acquire a Firearm Proprietor’s Identification card (FOID) as a previous restraint and precondition to purchasing a gun. “DOJ forwarded your inquiry to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) for response.”
@AAGDhillon @HarmeetKDhillon why did the @CivilRights division of @TheJusticeDept ship a grievance on a state stage infringement of the 2A to the ATF? It is mindless, particularly since this response says speak to congress lol! Is that this stonewalling? Seems to be prefer it on the floor. https://t.co/yaqTtPkRXf pic.twitter.com/LtdB85DyAF
— Non_Fudd’s Ghost (@sigilosos76) Might 12, 2025
In early April, this column reported on that grievance, filed by a citizen who’s being left unnamed right here as a result of he’s deliberately identified on social media solely by a display identify to guard his privateness and employability.
It was truly his second try to carry Lawyer Common Pam Bondi to her phrase (Justice punted on his first grievance, asking it to research an anti-gun choose’s political and monetary conflicts of curiosity), given in a press launch asserting a Second Modification Sample-or-Follow Investigation into Los Angeles County hid handgun license software delays, that:
“This Division of Justice won’t stand idly by whereas States and localities infringe on the Second Modification rights of unusual, law-abiding Individuals. The Second Modification will not be a second-class proper, and below my watch, the Division will actively implement the Second Modification similar to it actively enforces different elementary constitutional rights.”
Factors delivered to the DOJ’s consideration within the FOID grievance:
The rationale for the regulation was to dissuade minorities (particularly African Individuals throughout a time of racial riots/unrest and mistrust amongst racial teams and regulation enforcement) from looking for police permission to legally personal firearms.
Funding for FOID playing cards and carry licenses is used now as a “piggy financial institution” by the IL Common Meeting to fund different initiatives, resulting in delays in processing (with a documented case of a 20-month wait).
A lady with no prison file was charged with a criminal offense for possessing a single-shot rifle in her dwelling and not using a FOID.
“ATF is a regulation enforcement company throughout the DOJ devoted to lowering violent crime and defending the general public. ATF’s mission focuses on administering Federal prison legal guidelines and regulating the firearms and explosives industries,” Buge’s response continued. “In assist of this mission, ATF implements coverage and laws to implement legal guidelines created by Congress. As such, we encourage you to achieve out to your State congressional delegation together with your suggestions relating to firearm legal guidelines. We hope this data proves useful to you.”
Proper. In Illinois. How useful.
Translation: ATF solely offers with federal points, and your state grievance is exterior of its jurisdiction, so DOJ forwarding it to them can’t go wherever. In order for you aid, contact your state representatives, the Democrat ones who’re passing citizen disarmament edicts, and ask them to not. We’re washing our arms of it.
It’s not unfair to notice that so far as priorities go, the response, and thus official coverage, was entrusted to not a director, not a deputy director, and never even an assistant deputy director, however to an appearing assistant deputy director. What number of ranges of paperwork are there? I’ll stipulate it most likely is unfair to comply with that up by questioning who makes the espresso.
However it’s all a far cry from Pam Bondi’s nice phrases about “states and localities” (and from President Donald Trump’s nice phrases concerning the Second Modification), and as soon as once more raises the query “Who’s minding the shop?”
That’s particularly regarding in mild of Bondi’s April 8 memo to all arms declaring, “It’s the coverage of this Division of Justice to make use of its full would possibly to guard the Second Modification rights of law-abiding residents.”
To that finish, gun house owners have been promised a Second Modification Process Pressure, and been led to count on nice issues from the appointment of John Sauer as Solicitor Common, Harmeet Dhillon as head of the Workplace of Civil Rights, and a basic housecleaning over at ATF to incorporate a give attention to violent criminals to be saved on observe by “staunch supporter of the Second Modification” Common Counsel Robert Leider.
As an alternative, we see bipolar temper swings on weapons, and DOJ “utilizing its full would possibly” to argue that machineguns should not protected by the Second Modification, which primarily nullifies what the Founders meant. If machine weapons aren’t protected, the Second Modification is a lifeless letter and anybody who maintains in any other case is a fraud.
Whereas Firearms Coverage Coalition responded that what is required is a “Second Modification Czar,” with all due respect, any appointee will nonetheless be feeding from the identical hand. This correspondent has been virtually alone with the advice that surprises and disappointment will proceed to occur so long as the DOJ Process Pressure excludes impartial gun proprietor advocate illustration.
If our “Lovely Second Modification” president can appoint an advisory council for Homeland Safety together with, amongst others, “conservative media star” Mark Levin, what’s the hangup on together with impartial Second Modification students, legal professionals, advocacy group leaders, and material/technical consultants to advise on guidelines, laws, and authorized arguments earlier than DOJ says one thing unsuitable and offensive, and makes gun voters really feel like they’re getting used?
Like the road goes, Madam Lawyer Common, Mr. President, assist us provide help to. Both that or cease telling us how deeply and sincerely you care.
About David Codrea:
David Codrea is the winner of a number of journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun proprietor rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He blogs at “The Struggle on Weapons: Notes from the Resistance,” is a often featured contributor to Firearms Information, and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Fb.
