Bondi Confirmed as AG Despite Gun Group Objections

The Senate confirmed Donald Trump’s decide for the highest legislation enforcement official within the land over complaints from some gun-rights advocates on Wednesday.

In a 54-46 vote, the higher chamber of Congress accredited Pam Bondi’s ascension to Legal professional Normal, with Pennsylvania Democrat John Fetterman as the one crossover vote in assist. Her affirmation got here regardless of opposition from some gun-rights activists over her combined historical past on gun coverage. Gun Homeowners of America expressed a willingness to work with Bondi but additionally skepticism about her intentions.

“Gun homeowners have seen firsthand how an anti-gun Legal professional Normal can abuse their energy to undermine the Structure,” Erich Pratt, the group’s senior vp, mentioned in a press release. “Pam Bondi’s affirmation is a stark reminder that we should keep vigilant to make sure she defends, reasonably than dismantles, our God-given rights.”

Bondi will now oversee gun legislation enforcement throughout the federal authorities and decide the Trump Administration’s authorized technique in gun-rights challenges to these legal guidelines. Criticism from teams like GOA and the Nationwide Affiliation for Gun Rights failed to discourage Republican Senators from voting in lockstep to approve Bondi and even garner a query on her previous assist for stricter gun legal guidelines. Her affirmation means their considerations could take a backseat to different priorities below Bondi’s tenure.

Bondi didn’t give an in depth rationalization of how she plans to deal with gun instances throughout her affirmation listening to. Democratic Senator Alex Padilla briefly requested her about her views on gun management. In response, she mentioned she’d “at all times been pro-Second Modification.” Nonetheless, she additionally mentioned she’d concentrate on implementing America’s gun legal guidelines.

“I’m an advocate for the Second Modification, however I’ll implement the legal guidelines of the land,” Bondi mentioned.

When Padilla adopted as much as see whether or not she would assist elevating the minimal age for firearm purchases, implementing “Purple Flag” legal guidelines, and passing common background checks, she didn’t commit someway. She did promise to debate these restrictions with him, although.

“I might be glad to satisfy with you and evaluate any laws you will have, Senator,” Bondi responded.

Bondi’s historical past of supporting age restrictions and “Purple Flag” legal guidelines, in addition to vigorously defending Florida’s different gun restrictions throughout her time because the state’s Legal professional Normal, are the foundation of the gun-rights teams’ criticisms in opposition to her. A few of her most controversial feedback got here within the wake of the Parkland capturing when she was invited to the White Home by Donald Trump to debate potential legislative responses to the killings. She, like Trump, advocated for brand new mechanisms to take away weapons–no less than briefly–from these deemed by a decide to be a hazard to themselves or others.

“I’ve had my solicitor normal on it for 3 days now engaged on it,” she informed him on the time. “We’ve been rewriting it, and we’re going to usher in one thing known as the gun violence restraining order.”

In a later interview with Fox Enterprise, she defended then-Governor Rick Scott (R.) pushing for a number of different new gun restrictions. These restrictions included a bump-stock ban and a measure elevating the minimal age for gun purchases to 21.

“In a time of disaster, it’s about discovering frequent floor, and that’s what Governor Scott’s finished,” she mentioned. “That’s why nothing ever will get finished in Congress, in my view. Persons are so polarized to at least one facet or the opposite. We simply skilled a traumatic faculty capturing in Florida, and it’s discovering frequent floor, one thing each side can agree on.”

Gun-rights advocates had a back-and-forth relationship with Bondi all through her tenure in Florida, together with nicely earlier than her push to broaden the state’s gun legal guidelines after Parkland. She initially earned an “A” ranking from the Nationwide Rifle Affiliation throughout her 2010 marketing campaign however later clashed with the group over a number of authorized instances. In 2013, Florida Carry labeled her anti-Second Modification throughout a authorized battle over open carry.

“Now we have not seen a Florida Legal professional Normal take such drastic anti-Second Modification positions since 1987 when Bob Butterworth fought tooth and nail in opposition to hid carry licensing,” Sean Caranna, the group’s government director, mentioned on the time.

She hardly ever mentioned gun coverage after leaving workplace in 2019. Nonetheless, she was a vocal proponent of Kyle Rittenhouse throughout his trial for the deadly capturing of two males and wounding of one other amidst the 2020 rioting in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

“Folks have to know on the market that this was a battle zone,” Bondi informed Fox Information’ Sean Hannity throughout a September 2020 interview. “You’ve acquired a 17-year-old making an attempt to guard his state.”

In her affirmation listening to, Bondi described her gun views as an outgrowth of her expertise responding to mass shootings.

“I’m pro-Second Modification. I’ve at all times been pro-Second Modification,” she mentioned. “I’ll observe the legal guidelines of my state of Florida and our nation, in fact. Relating to any gun legal guidelines, I labored that capturing, that means I used to be there when 17 relations had been notified–I used to be there–that their kids had been murdered. Additionally, Pulse Nightclub. I additionally went to Nevada to assist with the MGM capturing. The Legal professional Normal on the time requested me to return on the market. I consider over 60 folks had been murdered there.”