Gun violence is declining at a historic rate for the second consecutive year after surging nearly 30 percent during former President Donald Trump’s final year in office. Despite this progress, far-right extremists are attempting to defund federal law enforcement and invalidate state gun laws that save lives. Their policy agenda could make the country less safe by easing access to firearms for those intent on committing violence and complicating law enforcement efforts to solve violent crimes.
The Heritage Foundation's "Project 2025: Presidential Transition Project" outlines an extreme policy vision favoring the corporate gun lobby over public safety. This agenda includes undermining federal law enforcement effectiveness and replacing experts with far-right loyalists. In May 2024, Project 2025 was showcased at the National Rifle Association (NRA) convention, underscoring its architects' commitment to prioritizing guns over people. Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts has made concerning references to armed political violence, stating on Steve Bannon’s podcast: “[W]e are in the process of the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be.” The Heritage Foundation reiterated this sentiment in a post on X.
Project 2025 proposes politicizing law enforcement, ending the independence of the U.S. Department of Justice, and moving the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) from the FBI to the Treasury Department—actions that could undermine efforts to reduce violent crime. Some lawmakers already champion these ideas.
For instance, the latest Republican Study Committee (RSC) budget calls for eliminating tools used by law enforcement to reduce violence. This includes defunding “red flag” laws and destroying firearm records used by law enforcement to solve gun crimes. If enacted, these policies would threaten individuals' right to feel safe from gun violence.
Additionally, right-wing policies would defund proven crime prevention strategies. The Heritage Foundation recommends diverting billions from the Crime Victims Fund into other areas—a proposal included in the RSC budget. The budget also calls for eliminating Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funding for gun violence research.
Project 2025's approach involves consolidating power in the presidency and imposing a uniform public safety solution nationwide. These plans have already appeared in the RSC budget. One significant proposal is the Concealed Carry Reciprocity (CCR) Act, which would override state laws on carrying concealed guns and allow almost anyone to carry firearms publicly across states with varying standards.
Forcing states to recognize weaker concealed carry standards violates states’ rights and could lead to increased public safety risks. Twenty-nine states permit carrying loaded handguns without prior training or background checks—measures designed for public safety. A 2022 study from John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health noted that relaxing concealed carry requirements correlates with increases in violent crime and mass shootings.
Concealed carry requirements vary among states; CCR would force states with stricter regulations to accept permits from those with looser ones—even if permit holders have criminal histories or lack training.
Law enforcement organizations oppose CCR because it complicates efforts to prevent violence by making it easier for individuals intent on committing violence to carry firearms undetected. Studies show weakening concealed carry requirements hinders solving violent crimes:
- A 2022 study found right-to-carry laws correlate with a 13 percent decline in police clearance rates for violent crime.
- A 2019 study suggested police might avoid investigating suspicious activities due to increased risks posed by widespread gun carrying.
- Relaxed restrictions increase officer-involved shootings; a 2022 study reported a 12.9 percent rise in such incidents where concealed handgun requirements were removed.
The Biden administration has implemented measures reducing gun violence more effectively than any recent administration—signing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, creating a White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, proposing rules against untraceable “ghost guns,” strengthening background checks, and supporting gun violence survivors.
Reversing these accomplishments by easing firearm access would endanger communities further. Project 2025 aims at weakening legal systems under extreme policies that could cost lives while politicizing law enforcement agencies like DOJ and FBI.
Recent publications like RSC budget proposals preview potential futures where corporate interests rewrite U.S. laws emphasizing profits over people’s safety—defunding federal law enforcement while allowing ghost guns proliferation threatens proven public safety solutions against violent crime.
If Congress enacts CCR legislation as research suggests increases in violent crime will follow along with petty disputes escalating into shootings amid unsolved cases—the current toll already costs $557 billion annually alongside nearly fifty thousand lives lost each year—a risk too great given ongoing challenges facing national security today.
