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Bottom Line: Republicans Didn't Question Bondi on Her Anti-Gun Positions

Despite Bondi's Support for Gun Control, Republicans Drop the Ball on the 2A While Democrats Pledge to Defend Infringements

Bottom Line: Republicans Didn't Question Bondi on Her Anti-Gun Positions

Not a single Republican Senator on the Judiciary Committee asked Pam Bondi about her commitment to the Second Amendment today—despite her past support for ‘red flag’ laws, gun bans for 18–20-year-old adults, and more,” Gun Owners of America posted on X.com Jan. 15. “What gives, Senators?”

It’s more than a legitimate question, especially considering how Republicans couldn’t be enjoying majorities in the House and Senate, and Donald Trump in the Oval Office, were it not for gun owner support, based in large part on grandiose campaign promises. Add to that, GOA had sent out a national alert to its members five days before the confirmation hearing asking them “to contact your Senators and urge them to demand answers from Pam Bondi so gun owners know exactly where she stands on the Second Amendment.”

That was supplemented with an effort by this correspondent, contacting Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans suggesting relevant questions based on Bondi’s past actions and pending opportunities, including:

·      Will you promote and defend all federal infringements in court the same way you did state infringements when you were Florida AG, and prosecute      “violators,” or will you acknowledge any as indefensibly unconstitutional? Which ones?

·      Will you rein in ATF and other agency rulemaking that infringes on the right of the people to keep and bear arms? How?

·      Will you defend the Second Amendment against state infringements, the same way the Justice Department has defended other civil rights against being denied under color of authority?

The efforts were in vain. Republicans not only didn’t come prepared to play hardball, no one even lobbed a softball.

“I'm incredibly disappointed that a Republican didn't ask her about this and instead, left it to a Democrat,” author and 2A advocate Dana Loesch observed.

Two Democrats broached the topic actually, and notoriously anti-gun ones at that (albeit we’d be hard-pressed to find any other kind), Cory Booker of New Jersey, and Alex Padilla of California.

“One of the most stunning hypocrisies I've found since I've been down here in Washington is, every politician gives lip service to driving down gun violence. But, the very federal authority, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearm that is primarily focused on enforcing America's gun laws and keeping people safe is hamstrung by federal leaders,” Booker pontificated.  “The ATF's core responsibility is assisting in local law enforcement. When I was a mayor, I detailed local law enforcement to the ATF, but I'm stunned at how they have been stripped of resources, of their budget, and all of their capabilities to go after illegal gun running.”

“Senator, I will do everything in my power to prevent illegal gun runners in our country,” Bondi responded. “When I left being a state prosecutor to run for attorney general, I almost didn't run because I was working on a wire case involving illegal gun runners.”

That could open a whole new debate in light of the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision. Government-approved private gun sale laws would have been considered infringements,  and dangerous people now designated “prohibited persons,” were removed from society (after receiving full due process). 

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What Bondi could have done is refuted Booker’s wild, unfounded claim that ATF has been stripped of all its resources. She could have then cited documented ATF abuses that show it has been wasting resources by focusing them on the wrong things. Doing an end run around Congress by making up and enforcing self-contradicting citizen disarmament rules and going after citizens selling their property by redefining what constitutes being “in the business of” gun dealing come to mind.

Booker was followed later in the hearing by Padilla, who tried to pin Bondi down on specifics.

“As you know the Department of Justice plays a key role in enforcing federal gun laws and working to prevent gun violence. In the wake of the Parkland shooting in 2018, you expressed support for certain gun control measures in Florida, including raising the minimum age for firearm purchases and implementing red flag laws, which I agree with,” Padilla declared. “How would you use the position of attorney general to advance these commonsense gun safety policies on a national level?”

“First Senator, let me say I am pro-Second Amendment. I have always been pro-Second Amendment,” Bondi replied.  “I will follow the laws of my state of Florida and our country, of course.”

In other words, she not only didn’t challenge the characterization of citizen disarmament as “commonsense,” but then went and showed everyone her big “but.” She did, however, answer questions some of us would have asked of her, although not in the way we’d have liked. She will enforce existing Intolerable Acts. While some are excusing and praising her for not taking the bait and saying she’d support specific laws, she in essence admitted that, like she did in Florida, she’d defend all of them.

Knowing such questions would likely come up, that this was the best response she could muster does not bode hopeful for gun owners.

“Bondi had to appear unbiased in order to make it through nomination,” some have argued on internet gun forums. “If Bondi says she'll do everything we want her to do, she won't get the votes.” That’s generally  accompanied by another deflection for failure to provide satisfactory answers: “Would you rather Kamala had won and reappointed Merrick Garland?”

True, there are Democrats looking for any excuse. Not only did she have plenty of time to prepare for a topic she knew would be brought up, but there are also ways to turn hostile “gotcha” questions around and do so without making such concessions. Those only serve to strengthen the enemies of freedom and demoralize the people who voted for a change.

So, it’s Bondi’s job as AG to defend the law, regardless of how she feels…? The Constitution is “the supreme Law of the Land,” the Second Amendment mandates “shall not be infringed,” and the new text, history, and tradition at the time of ratification standard, laid down by the Supreme Court in Bruen, demands her recognition and protection.

How she ultimately conducts herself, despite her assurances to the Committee about resisting undue pressures from the White House, will reflect squarely on Donald Trump. He nominated her with full knowledge that her past actions rendered her unacceptable to many Second Amendment advocates counting on him to honor his campaign promises.

Meanwhile, Republicans are confidently predicting Bondi will be confirmed, and mainstream “conservatives” are praising the way she outmaneuvered hostile inquisitors.  Gun owners will find out soon enough if there’s any reason to  celebrate beyond the fact that at least she’s not a Democrat.

Author Bio:

David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. In addition to being a regular featured contributor for Firearms News  he blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.

Sources:

Pam Bondi Confirmation Hearing Day 1 Transcript




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