Latest news with #SecondAmendment
Fox News
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Fox News Politics Newsletter: SCOTUS Reins in District Courts on Injunctions
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here's what's happening… -Top moments from the Trump-Biden debate that changed the course of the 2024 election -Trump celebrates Supreme Court limits on 'colossal abuse of power' by federal judges -Second Amendment 'setback': Gun tax cuts stripped from Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' The Supreme Court on Friday delivered a major victory in President Donald Trump's quest to block lower courts from issuing universal injunctions that had upended many of his administration's executive orders and actions. Justices ruled 6-3 to allow the lower courts to issue injunctions only in limited instances, though the ruling leaves open the question of how the ruling will apply to the birthright citizenship order at the heart of the case. The Supreme Court agreed this year to take up a trio of consolidated cases involving so-called universal injunctions handed down by federal district judges in Maryland, Massachusetts and Washington state. Judges in those districts had blocked Trump's ban on birthright citizenship from taking force nationwide – which the Trump administration argued in their appeal to the Supreme Court was overly broad…READ MORE AYATOLLAH'S DENIAL: Iranian foreign minister reiterates 'serious damage' to nuclear facilities, despite ayatollah's comments 'LOWER THE TEMP': Nearly 200 House Dems reject resolution condemning violent anti-ICE riots in LA BIKER NATION BECKONS: GOP senator invites Trump to 'an appreciation event like you've never seen' in deep-red state AMERICA-FIRST FIGHT: Targeted by Trump, Rep. Thomas Massie hauls in campaign cash SHOW US THE PLAN: Republicans raise alarm over US vulnerability to mass drone strikes after Israel-Iran conflict TRUTH BURIED: Dem governor's decades-old political persecution claim over alleged cocaine use disputed by bombshell memo FAITH FAVORED: Supreme Court decides whether to allow parents to shield children from LGBTQ books in school PROTECTING THE FAITHFUL: $94 million in grants awarded to Jewish faith-based organizations to prevent violence and terrorism: DHS FACULTY FACT-FINDING: Justice Department investigating University of California over alleged DEI-based hiring JUDICIAL OVERREACH: California judge who blocked Trump National Guard order hit with impeachment resolution IN THE CROSSHAIRS: Trump's DOJ pressuring University of Virginia to axe its president over DEI programs: report Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on
Gizmodo
a day ago
- Business
- Gizmodo
DOGE Gets the Green Light to Slash Gun Regulations at ATF
Elon Musk may be out of the picture, but the Department of Government Efficiency is still around and being deployed to terrorize the public servants at agencies across the federal government. The latest target: the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, where DOGE will be tasked with slashing gun restrictions, according to the Washington Post. DOGE staff (those who are left, at least, seeing as high-profile figures like Big Balls have tapped out of the operation) are reportedly being sent into the ATF with the goal of cutting or revising 47 gun regulations. That goal is apparently a reference to Trump being the 47th President of the United States, though the Washington Post reported that they are likely to blow past that figure and change more than 50 existing rules. No respect for regulations or symbolism. They have also been given a deadline of accomplishing this by July 4, because nothing would be a better gift to America for her birthday than easier access to firearms. Just from a process standpoint, it's always good to start with an arbitrary number and go looking to make cuts solely to meet that quota rather than because something actually needs changing. That's just smart governance, extremely efficient stuff. As to what those regulations are that will be changed, it's hard to say. The Post noted that the agency enforces hundreds of rules that help to dictate the way that firearms are bought, sold, and used in the country. The report floated the possibility that DOGE may change the rules on what types of guns can be imported and make licensing fees refundable. The pseudo-agency will also reportedly make changes to the mandated 4473 Form that gun buyers are required to fill out when purchasing a firearm, and sellers are required to keep in their records to help trace guns. The plan is to cut the form from seven pages down to three. How will they do that? By asking fewer questions of the gun buyer. Per the Post, questions that are currently seperate that ask things like whether a person has been committed to a mental institution, has been dishonorably discharged from the military, or has used illegal drugs will all just get smushed together into a single 'yes' or 'no' question as to whether a person is legally allowed to own a firearm. While DOGE is unleashed on the ATF's rule book, the Trump administration has been hacking away at the agency's size and purpose. The Department of Justice recently announced plans to cut the number of inspectors on its staff by two-thirds, significantly reducing the agency's ability to investigate businesses that sell guns to criminals. That doesn't go as far as other Republicans, who have introduced legislation to abolish the agency entirely. The Constitution still says 'well-regulated' in the Second Amendment, right? Or can DOGE cut that line?
Fox News
a day ago
- Business
- Fox News
Second Amendment 'setback': Gun tax cuts stripped from Trump's 'big, beautiful bill'
A provision inside President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" that would have lessened regulations on certain firearms was one of many stripped policies that did not pass muster with Senate rules. The Senate parliamentarian ruled late Thursday night that policy changes that would delist short-barrel rifles, shotguns and suppressors from the National Firearms Act (NFA) would have to be scrubbed from the Senate Finance Committee's portion of the mammoth bill. The provision would have allowed for those particular guns and accessories to no longer be subject to a $200 federal tax. They would also no longer have needed to be registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Changes to the NFA were part of the Stop Harassing Owners of Rifles Today (SHORT) Act, a bill pushed by Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., in the upper chamber, and Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., in the House. "This is a setback, but we are committed to working with the parliamentarian to protect the Second Amendment in any way we can through reconciliation," Marshall told Fox News Digital in a statement. "'Shall not be infringed' is crystal clear and the rights of gun owners must be respected." Indeed, lawmakers do have the opportunity to rewrite the provision to comport with the Byrd Rule, which governs the budget reconciliation process and allows either party in power to skirt the 60-vote filibuster threshold in the Senate. Clyde told Fox News Digital in a statement that he disagreed with the ruling, "as the taxation and registration of firearms under the draconian NFA are inextricably linked." "I'm working with my Senate Republican colleagues to rewrite the language so we can retain our 2A wins and deliver the best possible outcome for the American people," he said. "We must seize this rare opportunity to restore our Second Amendment rights." Arguments before the parliamentarian, who many Republicans lashed out at on Thursday following rulings that stripped key, yet divisive, Medicaid tweaks from the "big, beautiful bill," are expected to continue throughout Friday and likely until the last few minutes before the final bill is revealed. The gun provision was one of many tax-related items stripped from the package. Others included subsidies for private schools and carve-outs for religious colleges from the endowments tax, among others. There are other provisions still under consideration, including "Trump Accounts," which would have set aside $1,000 in taxpayer money for newborns, requiring Social Securities numbers for a slew of tax credits, and making tax benefits for those who invest in opportunity zones permanent.
Washington Post
a day ago
- Business
- Washington Post
DOGE enters ATF with mandate to slash gun regulations
The U.S. DOGE Service has sent staff to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with the goal of revising or eliminating dozens of rules and gun restrictions by July 4, according to multiple people with knowledge of the efforts, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss plans that have not been made public. The initial target was to change 47 regulations, an apparent reference to Donald Trump's status as the 47th president of the United States, two of the people said. But ATF and DOGE staffers are now poised to exceed that goal, with upward of 50 changes planned. The revisions are part of a seismic shift unfolding at ATF as the Trump administration proposes slashing the law enforcement agency's budget and dramatically reducing the number of inspectors who ensure that gun sellers are in compliance with federal laws. Some Republicans in Congress have called for abolishing the agency altogether, and Attorney General Pam Bondi has said she wants to merge ATF with the Drug Enforcement Administration. If the plans are enacted, it would be a major win for pro-gun advocacy groups, who have long claimed ATF is an agency with too many gun regulations that tramples on Second Amendment rights. Gun-control advocates fear that the changes afoot at ATF will more easily allow potentially dangerous people to obtain weapons with little recourse. The exact scope and details of the potential changes are still being determined. ATF has hundreds of regulations, and revisions could include changing the responsibilities of certain ATF positions, updating what types of firearms can be imported, and making licensing fees refundable. 'As Attorney General Bondi has made clear, ATF is working hard to reduce regulatory red tape that burdens lawful gun owners and to ensure agents are doing real police work hunting down criminals and gang members — not knocking on the doors of lawful gun owners in the middle of the night,' said Chad Gil Martin, a spokesman for the Justice Department, which oversees ATF. The Trump administration-backed ATF general counsel, Robert Leider, an ardent Second Amendment advocate, is overseeing the changes at ATF while working with DOGE, the people said. He has shifted additional ATF attorneys to work on the changes. DOGE is a non-Cabinet agency originally launched by billionaire Elon Musk to carry out controversial cost-cutting efforts that have resulted in mass attempted layoffs and legal battles with mixed results. The agency has more recently begun pushing for policy and regulatory changes. In addition to dozens of regulation cuts, Leider and his team are planning to change the legally mandated 4473 Form that most buyers are required to fill out when purchasing a firearm, shrinking it from the current seven pages to as few as three pages. Gun sellers are required to keep the records and have them readily available if law enforcement needs them to trace a gun during a criminal investigation or if ATF inspectors visit to see if the seller is complying with federal laws. Gun rights proponents have complained that the form is too cumbersome and long, ripe for people to make mistakes. They accused the Biden administration of punitively punishing people for simple paperwork errors — allegations that the Biden administration has denied, pointing to public data that shows that fewer than 1 percent of the 130,000 or so licensed gun sellers and manufacturers got their licenses revoked between July 2021 and December 2024. People familiar with the potential changes said the form instructions would be truncated and that some of the questions to determine if a potential buyer is legally allowed to own a firearm may be condensed into one large 'yes' or 'no' question. For example, separate questions ask people to answer if they have been committed to a mental institution, have been dishonorably discharged from the military or are an unlawful user of drugs. These and others could be combined into one question under the potential changes, two people familiar with them said. The question asking if the potential buyer is a felon would remain a stand-alone question. Some people interviewed said they fear that the changes could lead to more inaccuracies — and may make it harder for prosecutors to be able to prove that someone intentionally lied when filling out the federal form to purchase a gun. In a high-profile case last June, a jury in Delaware convicted President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, for lying about his drug use when he filled out that federal form to purchase a gun. 'I know we are going to see changes to the 4473 and we are getting close, that's in process,' Larry Keane — the general counsel of National Shooting Sports Foundation, a firearms trade association — said on the 'Bearing Arms Cam & Co' podcast this week. 'People just need to be a little patient, give ATF chief counsel some time in dotting the I's and crossing the T's and the internal review that has to take place. But people will be pleased as we move forward, and I think we will see significant progress in correcting bad rulings.' Under the Justice Department's latest budget proposal, the Trump administration would slash 541 of ATF's more than 800 inspectors. Multiple people interviewed said that the current inspection workforce is already stretched thin and inspected fewer than 10 percent — or 9,696 — of businesses and people who hold licenses to sell, collect, import or manufacture firearms. There is no federal requirement for how often a gun store or manufacturer must be inspected. But inspectors typically visit a dealer if an abnormal number of crimes are committed with guns that come from a specific store or if a large number of crimes are committed by people who newly purchased guns from a single place. Inspectors may also visit a seller or manufacturer if they haven't had an inspection in years. Inspectors are allowed to make unannounced visits to license holders only during business hours. People familiar with ATF said that, with just a few hundred inspectors, there would probably be few firearm-related inspections. Federal law requires that explosive sites be inspected at least once every three years. There are currently around 9,000 federal explosive licensees, which means that the remaining 350 or so inspectors would be responsible for inspecting 3,000 explosive sites each year. Gun-control advocacy groups said that there would be few resources left to dedicate to firearm inspections. They fear that gun sellers and manufacturers would have little incentive to be diligent with their recordkeeping, which they said could make it harder to trace firearms involved in crimes. They said these records can be crucial in identifying gun traffickers. 'The Administration seems hell-bent on ushering in a golden age for gun criminals, gutting the only agency specifically tasked with keeping communities safe from gun violence,' John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun-control advocacy group, said in a statement to The Washington Post. 'These cuts would be a dream come true for gun traffickers, straw purchasers, and unscrupulous gun dealers — and a nightmare for law enforcement and public safety.' Adam Skaggs, chief counsel and vice president of Giffords Law Center, another gun-control advocacy group, agreed: 'The administration claims to support law enforcement and care about fighting crime, but they are proposing the most radical defunding of the police we have ever seen from the federal government,' Skaggs said. Trump has yet to nominate a permanent ATF director, and the administration has pushed out many of its top career staffers, including the second-most-powerful person at the agency. The administration also booted the agency's longtime general counsel, making it a political position and hiring Leider. In late February, Trump said that Kash Patel, the FBI director, would at least temporarily lead ATF — a surprise announcement that put Patel atop two major law enforcement agencies with distinct mandates. More than six weeks into his job, The Post reported that Patel had shown up at ATF headquarters only once and had scant communication with senior staffers at agency. The administration then replaced Patel in early April with Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who holds the two roles simultaneously.
Politico
2 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
Gun control crusader and former US Rep. Carolyn McCarthy dead at 81
Former U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, who successfully ran for Congress in 1996 as a crusader for gun control after a mass shooting on a New York commuter train left her husband dead and her son severely wounded, has died. She was 81. News of her death was shared Thursday by several elected officials on her native Long Island and by Jay Jacobs, chair of the New York State Democratic Committee. Details about her death were not immediately available. McCarthy went from political novice to one of the nation's leading advocates for gun control legislation in the aftermath of the 1993 Long Island Rail Road massacre. However, the suburban New York Democrat found limited success against the National Rifle Association and other Second Amendment advocates. McCarthy announced in June 2013 that she was undergoing treatment for lung cancer. She announced her retirement in January 2014. 'Mom dedicated her life to transforming personal tragedy into a powerful mission of public service,' her son, Kevin McCarthy, who survived the shooting, told Newsday. 'As a tireless advocate, devoted mother, proud grandmother and courageous leader, she changed countless lives for the better. Her legacy of compassion, strength and purpose will never be forgotten.' New York Gov. Kathy Hochul directed flags on all state government buildings to be flown at half-staff Friday in honor of the congresswoman. 'Representative Carolyn McCarthy was a strong advocate for gun control and an even more fierce leader,' Hochul said. Democratic U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi said the nation has 'lost a fierce champion.' 'Carolyn channeled her grief and loss into advocacy for change, becoming one of the most dedicated gun violence prevention advocates,' Suozzi said on X. She became a go-to guest on national TV news shows after each ensuing gun massacre, whether it was at Columbine High School or Sandy Hook Elementary School. Known as the 'gun lady' on Capitol Hill, McCarthy said she couldn't stop crying after learning that her former colleague, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, had been seriously wounded in a January 2011 shooting in Arizona. 'It's like a cancer in our society,' she said of gun violence. 'And if we keep doing nothing to stop it, it's only going to spread.' During one particularly rancorous debate over gun show loopholes in 1999, McCarthy was brought to tears at 1 a.m. on the House floor. 'I am Irish and I am not supposed to cry in front of anyone. But I made a promise a long time ago. I made a promise to my son and to my husband. If there was anything that I could do to prevent one family from going through what I have gone through then I have done my job,' she said. 'Let me go home. Let me go home,' she pleaded. McCarthy was born in Brooklyn and grew up on Long Island. She became a nurse and later married Dennis McCarthy after meeting on a Long Island beach. They had one son, Kevin, during a tumultuous marriage in which they divorced but reconciled and remarried. McCarthy was a Republican when, on Dec. 7, 1993, a gunman opened fire on a train car leaving New York City. By the time passengers tackled the shooter, six people were dead and 19 wounded. She jumped into politics after her GOP congressman voted to repeal an assault weapons ban. Her surprise victory inspired a made-for-television movie produced by Barbra Streisand. Since that first victory in 1996, McCarthy was never seriously challenged for reelection in a heavily Republican district just east of New York City. Some critics described McCarthy as a one-issue lawmaker, a contention she bristled about, pointing to interests in improving health care and education. But she was realistic about her legacy on gun control, once telling an interviewer: 'I've come to peace with the fact that will be in my obituary.'
