Three months ago, President Trump issued an executive order, "Protecting Second Amendment Rights,” correctly affirming that the right to keep and bear arms is “an indispensable safeguard of security and liberty.” The order rightly declared that because the Second Amendment is foundational to all other freedoms, it must not be infringed.
Unfortunately, much of the federal government has since ignored that truth and treated the president’s directive – and our Constitution – as a mere suggestion. That’s why the time has come for President Trump to appoint a Second Amendment Czar, a dedicated official with the authority to implement and enforce his vision across the executive branch. The need for this role is urgent and undeniable.
Consider what’s happened since the order was issued.
Less than six weeks later, the Department of Justice strongly opposed a pro-Second Amendment request for the full Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider a misguided panel decision holding that firearm suppressors aren’t protected by the Second Amendment at all. If the DOJ gets its way and that ruling stands, governments could ban ammunition magazines, adjustable stocks, sights, and other items that promote the safe and effective use of firearms if those items are deemed not strictly “necessary.”
This wasn’t some small-time rogue filing – it came from appellate lawyers in President Trump’s own DOJ. The department effectively echoed California-style gun control arguments before a federal appellate court. That’s not a minor misstep. It’s outright defiance of the president’s order – and it could be a death sentence for Second Amendment rights. When gun rights advocates face off against overreaching laws, the United States should be siding with the Constitution, not filing against it.
And it didn’t stop there.
Just two weeks ago, Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick Lemon filed a DOJ brief attacking a district court ruling that upheld Second Amendment rights. Incredibly, the brief cited The Trace – a Bloomberg-funded, anti-Second Amendment propaganda rag run by Everytown’s John Feinblatt – in support of its arguments to reverse that ruling.
And in another example, the DOJ has so far opposed a key pro-Second Amendment lawsuit challenging a federal ban on handgun purchases from licensed retailers by law-abiding people who pass a background check. Your right to keep and bear arms doesn't stop at the state line, but the DOJ is trying to keep it that way. That certainly doesn't track with President Trump's executive order.
With friends like these, who needs enemies?
None of these are examples of treating the Second Amendment as “an indispensable safeguard” under President Trump’s order. To the contrary, they show clear disrespect for you and your rights. And these aren’t isolated incidents – they’re part of a larger pattern: The swamp is actively resisting the President’s clear constitutional directive.
A Second Amendment Czar can fix this. But it must be a real position with a competent leader appointed by the president – someone empowered to review filings, oversee litigation stances, and coordinate policies across the government.
The czar would serve as the executive director of the president’s Second Amendment agenda, ensuring that no agency buries his order under bureaucratic excuses or legal footnotes. The job is simple: enforce the Second Amendment like it’s the law of the land. Because it is.
Just as important, this role must bridge the gap between the Solicitor General’s Office and the nation’s top Second Amendment litigators. Without that coordination, the federal government will keep missing opportunities to support the development of historically supported Second Amendment law in the nation’s highest court. A Second Amendment Czar could help ensure that when a good cert petition is filed, the Trump administration is not only supporting it, but helping gun owners make their arguments before the court
Let’s be honest: the term “czar” makes liberty-minded Americans uneasy. And rightly so. Too often, czars have been used to expand federal power, not restrain it.
But this is different.
A Second Amendment Czar wouldn’t create new gun control rules or agencies. They’d be the one person in Washington whose job is to stop bureaucrats from violating your rights. It’s not about centralizing power – it’s about making sure those in power follow the Constitution. For once, a czar would exist not to control you – but to protect you.
President Trump could end this mess tomorrow by appointing a strong, empowered Second Amendment Czar to carry out his orders and fire the people who refuse. Such a move would send a clear and powerful message: Second Amendment rights are not second-class rights.
If President Trump doesn’t act, the consequences won’t just be serious, they’ll be irreversible. Until someone is charged with enforcing our rights and executing his agenda, swamp bureaucrats will keep ignoring, slow-walking, or outright sabotaging the president’s constitutional mandate. The DOJ will keep filing hostile briefs. And the president’s base will lose faith that he can stop the assault on their rights.
But with a strong Second Amendment Czar in place, this administration can course correct before it’s too late.
President Trump has an opportunity to make history in all the right ways. To lead. To make the right to keep and bear arms great again. But if he doesn’t act decisively – and soon – the infringement will continue, and the swamp will win.
A Second Amendment Czar is the firewall we need. And the time for President Trump to act is now.
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Brandon Combs is the Founder and President of Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC), a 501(c)4 nonprofit membership organization, dedicated to advancing human liberty, defending constitutional rights, advancing individual liberty, and restoring freedom