On December 8, Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice, provided a video update confirming the existence of the newly created Second Amendment Rights Section and outlining its agenda. The video serves as the government’s official announcement of the newly created office that surfaced in a news report on November 25.
In the three-minute video, Ms. Dhillon stated that “I’ve been working on the Second Amendment Section ever since I got here at the DOJ.” This statement confirms that although the DOJ has largely been silent regarding President Trump’s February executive order regarding the Second Amendment (to the frustration of many in the Second Amendment community), Ms. Dhillon’s office has been working behind the scenes.
In her address, Ms. Dhillon stated, “For the first time, the DOJ Civil Rights Division and the DOJ at large will be protecting and advancing our citizens’ right to bear arms as part of our civil rights work.”
She goes on to acknowledge the lackluster attention that the Supreme Court has given to this civil liberty, stating, “The Second Amendment was ratified in 1791 as part of the Bill of Rights, and yet, it has received less attention from the Supreme Court than some of our other civil rights.”
Ms. Dhillon lists recent 2A-related activities under the DOJ Civil Rights Division, including:
- Suing Los Angeles over carry permit delays
- Filed amicus briefs in 2A cases in Barnett in Illinois and Wolford in Hawaii
Future focuses of the new division, according to Ms. Dhillon, will include focusing on excessive concealed carry permit costs, unreasonably long delays, and jurisdictions outlawing “guns that should be protected by the Second Amendment under the recent Supreme Court precedents.”
“Common sense teaches us that a criminal is less likely to attack a house that is guarded by an armed citizen,” said Dhillon, adding, “The right to bear arms equalizes the ability of those of us – women, people with disabilities, and others who might otherwise be more vulnerable – to be able to protect ourselves, and this is important.”
Wrapping up, she states, “Stay tuned. You’re going to see a lot more action from this Department of Justice to protect your Second Amendment rights.”
You can view all 2A-related actions from the Bondi Justice Department in our easy-to-scroll Action Tracker.
