politics
Trump Administration Moves to Ease Federal Gun Rules and Challenge State Restrictions
The Trump administration is moving to reduce federal firearm purchase rules and suing several jurisdictions over their restrictions. The Justice Department and ATF have outlined about three dozen changes since earlier this year. The steps follow President Trump's campaign pledge to expand Second Amendment rights nationwide.
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org reported July 6. The Justice Department earlier in 2026 released a roadmap to cut rules on firearm purchases. The ATF has since proposed roughly three dozen regulatory changes, including rollbacks on a measure aimed at the gun show loophole and reduced restrictions on short-barrel rifles and bump stocks.
The administration is also filing lawsuits against gun restrictions in Democratic-led states. The Justice Department has brought seven such cases since last year, targeting California's handgun roster rules and a measure affecting certain Glocks, Virginia's assault weapons ban, and similar bans in Denver and Washington, D.C. Since taking office, the department has redirected its Civil Rights Division toward enforcing gun rights.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche disavowed conclusions in an ATF study that linked one proposed change to higher risks. That change would ease restrictions on some people with mental illness owning firearms. The ATF itself had noted potential for mass casualty events from the shift, though federal law on involuntary commitments remains in place.
The Supreme Court will hear cases next session on assault weapons bans in Connecticut and Cook County, Illinois. About a dozen states maintain such bans that could be affected by the rulings. Bump stocks, one device facing reduced regulation, were used in the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting.
