When the Department of Justice quietly floated a new “Second Amendment Rights Section” earlier this month, gun owners were right to be skeptical. Now, the DOJ has made it official.
With a formal announcement and a carefully worded rollout to friendly media outlets like Fox News, the DOJ claims it is launching a new unit inside its Civil Rights Division dedicated to protecting the Second Amendment.
On paper, that sounds like a major shift. In reality, gun owners should keep their eyes wide open.
The DOJ’s Big Announcement — and Bigger Promises
According to Fox News, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon says the new office will take “a lot more action” to protect gun rights, particularly by targeting state and local governments that impose excessive fees, delays, or outright bans on lawful carry and firearm ownership.
DOJ officials are even framing the Second Amendment as a civil right — a rhetorical shift that, if backed by action, could mark a meaningful departure from the department’s long history of hostility toward gun owners.
But rhetoric is cheap. And the devil is in the details DOJ doesn’t want you to notice.
“Law-Abiding American Citizens” — A Familiar Trap
As The Reload reported, the DOJ’s own website makes clear that this new Second Amendment Section is intended to protect the gun rights of “law-abiding American citizens.” That phrase should immediately raise red flags.
The term “law-abiding” has been the federal government’s favorite escape hatch for decades — vague enough to justify disarming almost anyone, anytime, for almost anything.
Miss a form?
Commit a paperwork error?
Get accused — not convicted — of the wrong offense?
Congratulations. You’re suddenly no longer “law-abiding” in the eyes of the same DOJ that prosecutes gun owners over technicalities while cartel members walk free.
Even more troubling, DOJ lawyers pushed similar arguments at the Supreme Court in Rahimi, claiming Second Amendment protections only apply to a narrow class of “responsible” citizens — an argument that drew visible skepticism from the justices. So when DOJ repeats that language now, gun owners should assume it’s intentional.
Gun Confiscation Groups Are Panicking — And That’s Telling
Predictably, the gun confiscation lobby is furious. Brady United blasted the DOJ’s announcement, accusing the department of “diverting civil rights resources” and endangering “gun violence prevention laws.” Translation: they’re worried.
Brady’s outrage confirms what DOJ won’t admit — that even symbolic recognition of the Second Amendment as a coequal civil right threatens the gun confiscation regime they’ve spent decades building.
But Brady’s anger doesn’t automatically mean DOJ deserves praise. Sometimes the establishment fights among itself — and gun owners still lose.
The Only Thing That Matters: Action
Texas Gun Rights has been clear from the beginning: judge DOJ by what it does, not what it says. A real Second Amendment enforcement section would:
- Stop defending unconstitutional gun laws in court
- Rein in rogue ATF enforcement
- End prosecutions of non-violent gun owners
- Defend all “the people,” not just politically convenient subsets
Until that happens, this new office remains what it looks like right now: A press release. A rebrand. And potentially, a bait-and-switch.
Gun owners have been burned too many times to celebrate prematurely. Texas Gun Rights will continue watching — and calling it exactly as it is. Because when it comes to the Second Amendment, trust is earned — not announced.
Chris McNutt is president of Texas Gun Rights.
“Because when it comes to the Second Amendment, trust is earned — not announced.”
Exactly. And trust is earned by positive action in defense of the 2nd Amendment and the rights of We the People to self defense and the defense of others. To date, relative to the 2nd Amendment the DOJ has been a huge disappointment.
Do not forget Bondi is still Attorney General.