Bondi Is Out — What It Means for the Second Amendment and What Comes Next

Whatever you thought of Pam Bondi, there's something that needs to be said clearly: her Department of Justice showed up for the Second Amendment in ways we hadn't seen in decades.

Then on April 2, 2026, President Trump fired her.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche is now acting AG, with Lee Zeldin reportedly being considered for the permanent role. What that means for the dozens of active Second Amendment cases across the country — including the ones directly affecting Illinois gun owners — is the question every gun rights advocate should be asking right now.

What Bondi's DOJ Actually Did for 2A

Before we move on, it's worth giving credit where it's due.

Mark Smith of Four Boxes Diner has pointed out that Bondi's DOJ was arguably the most pro-Second Amendment Justice Department in over 50 years. Here's the track record:

The Benson magazine ban win. Earlier this year, the D.C. Court of Appeals struck down Washington D.C.'s ban on magazines holding more than 10 rounds in Benson v. United States. That win happened in large part because Bondi's DOJ — including U.S. Attorney Janine Pirro and the DOJ's Second Amendment unit — flipped sides and filed a brief arguing the magazine ban violated the Second Amendment. The government literally conceded the case. That's enormous.

Barnett v. Raoul and Illinois PICA. The DOJ under Harmeet Dhillon's Civil Rights Division argued alongside the plaintiffs at the Seventh Circuit oral argument last September in the consolidated Illinois PICA cases — including our own Bevis v. Naperville. That kind of DOJ involvement in a circuit-level Second Amendment case is rare and significant.

Rhode v. Bonta. The DOJ filed a brief supporting the plaintiffs in the 9th Circuit challenge to California's ammo background check law, with oral argument still pending.

That's a real record. And it mattered to people like me — not just as a gun store owner, but as a plaintiff who has been fighting this fight in federal court since 2022.

Why She Got Fired

According to multiple reports, Trump's frustration with Bondi centered on two things: her handling of the Epstein files and her perceived failure to prosecute his political enemies aggressively enough. This wasn't about guns. The Second Amendment was one area where her DOJ was genuinely performing.

That's what makes the transition uncertain. A new AG who is focused on political priorities might maintain the same 2A posture — or might deprioritize it as lower-level personnel turn over.

What We're Watching Now

The immediate question is whether Acting AG Todd Blanche and any permanent successor will continue:

1. The DOJ's amicus posture in active Second Amendment cases like Barnett, Rhode v. Bonta, and the pending SCOTUS cases

2. The Harmeet Dhillon-led Civil Rights Division's active involvement in 2A litigation

3. The DOJ's position in Viramontes v. Cook County and other cases now circulating at the Supreme Court

For Illinois gun owners, the stakes are direct. Our cases at the Seventh Circuit — Barnett, Bevis, and the rest — are still awaiting a decision. The DOJ's support in those proceedings was a meaningful signal to the court. If that posture changes, we feel it.

Law Weapons Is Watching Closely

At Law Weapons, we've been in this fight since we filed Bevis v. Naperville in September 2022. We didn't need a particular attorney general to validate what we were doing — but we noticed when the federal government finally started arguing on the right side.

We'll be monitoring closely who comes in, what they say about the Second Amendment, and whether the DOJ's recent trajectory holds. The moment there's clarity on a permanent AG, you'll see it here.

The fight doesn't stop. It never has.

— Robert Bevis
Law Weapons & Supply