On April 7, 2025, Harmeet Dhillon was officially sworn in as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, according to a press release from the DOJ’s Office of Public Affairs. While the Civil Rights Division traditionally focuses on racial and religious discrimination, Dhillon made it clear from the start that her vision for civil rights includes the Second Amendment. Her appointment under the Trump administration signals a dramatic shift in how federal civil rights laws might now be used – to fight back against states and cities that obstruct lawful gun ownership.
The DOJ announcement praised Dhillon’s diverse background and professional experience, stating she brings “experiences and perspectives to the DOJ unlike anyone before her.” But few anticipated her very first major initiative would involve taking aim at anti-gun laws in liberal states.
Dhillon’s Mission: Defend the Second Amendment
Appearing on The Glenn Beck podcast, Dhillon revealed that her Civil Rights Division will directly confront state and local governments that restrict Second Amendment rights in defiance of Supreme Court precedent. “City after city, state after state are eviscerating those rights. They’re mocking the Supreme Court,” she told Beck. “We will be working together to make this a focus of the Civil Rights Division – challenging state law that violates fundamental civil rights.”
Dhillon didn’t stop at vague criticisms. She specifically called out California’s permit delays, Washington D.C.’s bureaucratic bottlenecks, and New York’s uneven gun policies as possible civil rights violations. As a gun owner herself, she even shared her own experience trying to obtain a concealed carry license in D.C., which she said takes months just to get an appointment. “I’m exercised about that. I might be doing something about it,” she said pointedly.
Mark Smith: “This Is a Game Changer”
Attorney Mark W. Smith, host of The Four Boxes Diner YouTube channel, praised Dhillon’s appointment as “phenomenal” and a turning point in the gun rights battle. In his recent video, Smith declared, “This is a big deal because she is shaking things up in a great way.” Smith emphasized that Dhillon’s focus on the Second Amendment within the Civil Rights Division is something previous administrations, even Republican ones, largely ignored.
“Personnel is policy,” Smith explained, adding that Trump has learned from past mistakes and is now appointing leaders who are both philosophically aligned and ready to act. “This is not some abstract theoretical discussion,” Smith said. “This is an attorney who just moved to D.C. and already faces the same headaches we all do. That makes her dangerous, to the anti-gun establishment.”
A Legal Blueprint for Challenging Anti-Gun Laws
Smith also outlined how these legal challenges could unfold. One strategy he proposed involves documenting how long and how expensive it is to obtain a concealed carry permit in anti-gun jurisdictions like California, New York, and D.C., then comparing those delays and costs to how quickly one can register to vote or obtain a driver’s license in those same places. “That’s how you prove it’s unconstitutional,” Smith explained, referencing the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision in 2022.
Smith’s idea is that if the government treats the exercise of a constitutional right like gun ownership as more burdensome than voting or driving, it sets the stage for a strong legal argument. His recommendation: flip the incentives. Allow gun owners to carry once they affirm they’re legally eligible – then make the government prove otherwise. “Now you’ve incentivized the government to move fast, rather than drag their feet,” he said.
Glenn Beck Applauds “Real World” Action
Glenn Beck, during his interview with Dhillon, appeared impressed by her personal experience and practical understanding of what everyday gun owners face. He applauded her willingness to step beyond theoretical debates and deal with the hard realities of restrictive permitting systems. “Could you imagine just a few years ago hearing someone in such a political position of power discuss the right to keep and bear arms in such a real-world way?” Beck asked.
Beck also noted that while many focus on Dhillon’s efforts to combat campus antisemitism or religious discrimination, her willingness to elevate gun rights as civil rights represents a bold new frontier. It’s a rhetorical shift that places the Second Amendment on the same constitutional footing as voting rights or freedom of speech – a move that is likely to provoke intense opposition from gun control advocates.
Targeting Bureaucratic Abuse in Blue States
One of the most compelling aspects of Dhillon’s approach is her focus on state-level bureaucracy as a form of civil rights suppression. As she told Beck, many jurisdictions deliberately make it “virtually impossible” for ordinary citizens to obtain gun permits. California, she explained, technically allows applications in multiple places, “but then they don’t staff the departments that do the interviews.”
This pattern – laws that exist on paper but are impossible to navigate in practice – is something Dhillon said she is ready to challenge in court. And with the weight of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division behind her, she may have the resources and authority to make serious headway.
The Bruen Case: The Legal Foundation
The 2022 New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen Supreme Court decision serves as the foundation for Dhillon’s new initiative. That case clarified that states cannot impose arbitrary or overly burdensome requirements on citizens exercising their Second Amendment rights. Yet, as Dhillon, Beck, and Smith all point out, many states seem to be ignoring that precedent.
Smith emphasized that under Bruen, permit schemes that involve excessive costs or long wait times could be legally vulnerable. “If it takes six months and hundreds of dollars to exercise your constitutional right to carry, it’s a problem,” he said.
A Broader Fight for Civil Liberties
Dhillon’s new project also reframes the gun rights debate through a civil rights lens – something that could appeal beyond traditional conservative circles. By positioning the Second Amendment as a right routinely violated by the state, and comparing the experience of gun owners to the denial of other civil liberties, her DOJ may help rebrand gun ownership as a fundamental human right.
This strategy could expand support for gun rights by linking them to broader justice and equality issues, particularly when delays disproportionately affect lower-income residents who can’t afford to wait or pay excessive fees.
A Message to the States: Comply or Face Legal Action
In her Glenn Beck interview, Dhillon made it clear that this isn’t just talk. “We will be working together to make this a focus of the Civil Rights Division,” she said. That means investigations, litigation, and possibly even consent decrees targeting cities and counties that systematically violate Second Amendment rights.
Gun control advocates may see this as an existential threat to their state-level authority. But for pro-2A Americans, it’s a long-overdue response to years of encroachment. “Trump’s DOJ is fighting back,” Smith said in his video. “And this time, they mean it.”
This Could Be a Turning Point
From my perspective, this initiative by Harmeet Dhillon could reshape the national gun rights landscape. For years, gun control states have tested how far they can go to frustrate legal ownership, without ever outright banning it. This tactic may finally meet its match in a federal civil rights office willing to push back.
Unlike past Republican appointees who gave lip service to the Second Amendment, Dhillon seems willing to treat it with the same seriousness as any other civil right. If her team follows through with investigations and lawsuits, we could see a long-overdue rollback of bureaucratic abuse in states that act as though the Constitution doesn’t apply to them.
A Bold New Chapter in the Second Amendment Battle
In just a few weeks on the job, Harmeet Dhillon has done more than some officials have in years. With her confirmation, the Trump administration has signaled a bold new strategy: defend the Second Amendment not just through political speeches, but by wielding the full legal power of the Department of Justice.
Whether you’re in California, New York, D.C., or anywhere else burdened by hostile gun laws, this could be the beginning of a national reckoning. The message is clear: the federal government is no longer ignoring state-level violations of the Second Amendment. It’s coming after them.
A former park ranger and wildlife conservationist, Lisa’s passion for survival started with her deep connection to nature. Raised on a small farm in northern Wisconsin, she learned how to grow her own food, raise livestock, and live off the land. Lisa is our dedicated Second Amendment news writer and also focuses on homesteading, natural remedies, and survival strategies. Lisa aims to help others live more sustainably and prepare for the unexpected.