Washington, D.C. — Project 2025, a proposal by the Heritage Foundation, has raised concerns regarding public safety through its recommendations to eliminate federal law enforcement training and weaken gun laws. Analyses from the Center for American Progress (CAP) highlight two significant aspects of the 920-page document.
The first analysis focuses on Project 2025’s plan to dismantle the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC), which annually train approximately 20,000 law enforcement officers. "Project 2025’s haphazard destruction of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security would result in fewer well-trained law enforcement officers at every level—local, state, Tribal, and federal—when America’s law enforcement agencies desperately need more of them," said Tom Moore, senior fellow at CAP and author of the column. "Eliminating FLETC would make Americans, and law enforcement, less safe by denying officers the tools they need to defuse encounters that can turn violent."
The second analysis scrutinizes proposals within Project 2025 to invalidate state laws on carrying concealed firearms. This change could potentially allow almost anyone to carry guns in public spaces such as Times Square or the National Mall. The analysis also discusses how these proposals are supported by lawmakers influenced by corporate gun lobby interests. For example, the Republican Study Committee (RSC) budget includes measures like defunding “red flag” laws and eliminating CDC funding for firearm research.
Nick Wilson, senior director of Gun Violence Prevention at CAP and author of one column stated: "Project 2025 and other recent far-right proposals offer a disturbing preview of a grim future in which the corporate gun lobby can rewrite U.S. laws with an emphasis on profits over people." He added that if Congress enacts concealed carry reciprocity along with other measures weakening gun laws, it is likely that violent crime rates will increase.
For further information or expert commentary, contact Jasmine Razeghi at [email protected].
