I was willing to give Attorney General Pam Bondi the benefit of the doubt. I know of her anti-gun sympathies, but with President Donald Trump ultimately being the one to call the shots, I hoped she’d do as directed.
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A lot of people were less than pleased with the rollout of the Epstein files, followed by the moving of the goalposts from “everything will be released except victim names” to the whole “national security” thing.
But she was given an explicit directive by the president. He issued an executive order to her regarding gun laws and answers were expected in 30 days. Technically, that expired on Sunday, but that meant answers were due by Monday if we’re to assume that we’re not getting reports in a 24/7 news cycle.
On February 7, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Protecting Second Amendment Rights” – his first major move to fulfill campaign promises of rolling back gun control measures.
The executive order directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to conduct a comprehensive review of firearm-related regulations, policies, and agency actions implemented between January 2021 and January 2025. The order also mandates a plan of action to protect gun rights moving forward.
While gun rights groups have welcomed the move, they are also making it clear: words on paper are not enough – action must follow.
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While many gun advocates are celebrating the executive order, there are also concerns about the person tasked with executing it – Attorney General Pam Bondi. Bondi, who previously served as Florida’s Attorney General, has a mixed history on gun rights. While she has opposed assault weapons bans, she has also supported red flag laws, which allow authorities to temporarily confiscate firearms from individuals deemed a threat.
Jared Yanis of Guns & Gadgets noted that Bondi now has a chance to prove where she really stands on gun rights. Many gun owners remain skeptical and want to see clear actions, not just promises. The next 30 days will be critical in determining whether Bondi follows through with Trump’s directive or takes a more cautious approach.
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But now, those 30 days have passed and we’re still not seeing anything at all.
Bondi’s history of supporting the post-Parkland regulations has many gun rights proponents in Florida more than a little concerned. The fact that she was appointed to her position and was answerable to the president helped somewhat, but like Jared said, we need to see actions, not words.
(And if you’re not subscribed to Gun & Gadgets on YouTube, you should consider it.)
The deadline has passed, and without a public request for an extension or something along those lines, along with an explanation as to why something of the sort is needed–maybe Bondi saying the infringements are so plentiful and egregious she needs more time to identify all of them?–we have every right to expect answers.
So far, as I said, we’re still waiting.
I want to give her the benefit of the doubt. I want her to be good for gun rights and I want it so badly I can taste it. However, her history is still her history, and we can’t ignore this. Especially in light of the fact that a simple deadline was given. It has come and gone, and even if we account for the deadline falling on a Sunday, she’s had time to release it.
Of course, to be fair, the executive order doesn’t specify that she has to tell the public about it at the 30-day mark. It’s possible that she completed the work and some of the behind the scenes stuff that she was also directed to do is in the works. I’m not hopeful because of that history and the issue with the Epstein files, but I can’t ignore the possibility.
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We have a right to demand answers. We have a right to expect them.
If she would at least tell the general public that it’s been done and we’ll have a statement from someone as to what is being addressed by a certain time in the near future, that would help.
I doubt we’ll get that, though. Still, if we get good law out of this in the long run, it’ll be worth the wait.
