Updated
Updated · PBS NewsHour · Jul 7
Trump Administration Targets State Gun Curbs After 36 Federal Rollbacks
Updated
Updated · PBS NewsHour · Jul 7

Trump Administration Targets State Gun Curbs After 36 Federal Rollbacks

3 articles · Updated · PBS NewsHour · Jul 7

Summary

  • Seven Justice Department lawsuits have challenged gun restrictions in California, Virginia, Denver and Washington, D.C., marking a new push to use the Civil Rights Division to enforce gun rights.
  • About three dozen ATF rollbacks underpin that strategy, including moves to undo a rule aimed at closing the gun-show loophole and to ease restrictions on short-barrel rifles and bump stocks.
  • One contested change would narrow limits tied to mental illness; the ATF warned repeal could raise mass-casualty risks, though acting Attorney General Todd Blanche rejected that conclusion.
  • The legal fight could widen next term, when the Supreme Court reviews assault-weapons bans in Connecticut and Cook County, a ruling that could jeopardize similar laws in roughly a dozen states.

Insights

As dozens of gun regulations are rolled back, what does data predict for the future of violent crime?
With federal oversight weakened, how will authorities prevent a new surge in illegal gun trafficking?
How will these sweeping rule changes actually affect the process of legally buying and selling a firearm?