Justice Department creates first-ever Second Amendment rights division

For the first time in American history, the Department of Justice has carved out a civil-rights unit devoted not to voting or housing, but to the right to keep and bear arms.

The Department of Justice has opened its new Second Amendment Rights Section, a unit within the Civil Rights Division that for the first time treats the right to keep and bear arms as a core civil right on par with protections for voting, housing, or equal employment.

The section officially opened on Dec. 4, 2025, fulfilling a directive issued earlier this year by President Donald Trump. In February, Trump ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to review all federal actions that might infringe on the Second Amendment and to reorganize the department so gun rights would be protected with the same vigor as other constitutional guarantees.

This reorganization follows months of groundwork, including an April 2025 investigation into the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for allegedly slow-walking concealed-carry permits in violation of Supreme Court precedent.

The new section will focus on investigating and challenging state and local policies that impede law-abiding citizens from exercising their right to own or carry firearms. Excessive permitting delays, discriminatory licensing schemes, and burdensome fees are among the practices the Justice Department says it will target using civil rights tools such as pattern-or-practice investigations.

The mission is aligned with Supreme Court rulings like the 2022 Bruen decision, which strengthened protections for public carry and curtailed discretionary permitting systems. The DOJ says the new unit does not require new congressional authorization and is staffed with existing personnel and resources.

Housed under Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, the section is part of a broader Second Amendment Task Force launched in April to marshal the DOJ’s legal weight behind gun rights. The effort represents a dramatic shift away from the Biden-era emphasis on gun control and toward an interpretation of civil rights that includes robust federal defense of firearm ownership. Supporters in the gun-rights community say the new section establishes a long-needed institutional home for defending citizens against state and local overreach.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation calls it a historic correction, while the Firearms Policy Coalition says the initiative could be effective if it is guided by attorneys with genuine experience in Second Amendment litigation.

Others are more skeptical. Some activists warn that the DOJ is still defending certain federal gun restrictions in court, citing a November filing they say contradicts the administration’s stated commitment. They argue the new section will have to demonstrate through enforcement, not merely through announcements, that it truly intends to uphold the full scope of the Second Amendment.