By Tanya Metaksa
What’s New—Politics: Two Special Elections in Florida for House Representatives are scheduled: Primary Date Jan. 25, 2025, General Election Date April 1, 2025; Gov. Ron DeSantis appoints Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to become Florida U.S. Senator; Gov. Mike DeWine appointed Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to become Ohio’s next U.S. Senator; Trump has opportunity to appoint BATFE Director; States already considering new laws: CA, KY, ME, OH, VA, WI, WA
Politics – U.S. Senate Vacancies
Marco Rubio’s Senate seat
On January 17, 2025, Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to become Florida’s next U.S. Senator. In October 2023, Attorney General Ashley Moody released an opinion regarding the use of stabilizing braces for handguns in Florida. Her opinion read:
“Unless and until judicially or legislatively clarified, I conclude that the definition of ‘short-barreled rifle,’ which the Legislature enacted in 1969, does not include a handgun, such as a pistol, to which a person attaches a stabilizing brace, because the use of such an optional accessory does not change the fundamental characteristics of the handgun.”
Additionally, in February 2023, under the leadership of Attorney General Ashley Moody, Florida joined a lawsuit, Firearms Regulatory Accountability Coalition v. Merrick Garland that requested the US District Court for the Western District of North Dakota to seek an injunction concerning the ATF rule on pistol braces. Joining Florida in that lawsuit were the states of West Virginia, North Dakota, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, And Wyoming,
Vice-President J.D. Vance’s Senate seat
On January 17, 2025, Gov. Mike DeWine appointed Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to become Ohio’s next U.S. Senator.
Husted. In 2018, while running for Governor, Husted specifically cited his achievements in promoting and defending Second Amendment rights, notably mentioning his A+ rating from the National Rifle Association (NRA). During his time as the Ohio House Speaker, he was instrumental in passing comprehensive reforms to Ohio’s concealed carry laws to protect law-abiding gun owners.
Two Special Elections scheduled for Florida
Two elections will be held because Republican representatives have taken positions in the Trump administration, necessitating special elections to fill their vacant seats. The Primary dates are set for Jan. 28.
1 Florida;s 1st Congressional District
Republican Candidates
- Jimmy Patronis, Florida’s Chief Financial Officer
- Joel Rudman, former Florida State Representative
- Aaron Dimmock, who previously ran in the 2024 primary against Matt Gaetz
- Nathan Nelson, former director of military affairs for Matt Gaetz
- Jeff Witt, U.S. Air Force veteran
- Gene Valentino, former county commissioner
- Keith Gross, former assistant state attorney
- Michelle Salzman, state representative
- Alex Andrade, state representative
- Doug Broxson, former state senator
- Don Gaetz, state senator and father of Matt Gaetz
- Democratic candidate
- Gay Valimont, Athletic Trainer
- 2 Florida’s 6th Congressional District
- Republican Candidates:
- Aaron Baker
- Randy Fine, State Senator
- Ehsan Joarder
- Democratic Candidates
- Purvi Bangdiwala
- Ges Selmont
- Josh Weil
- No Party Affiliation:
- Randall Terry, a perennial candidate who ran for president in 2024
- 2 Florida’s 6th Congressional District
BATFE
Former BATFE Director Steven Dettelbach was scheduled to resign on Jan. 18. The current Deputy Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE) is Thomas Chittum. Whether he will temporarily take over remains to be seen.
President Trump’s nominations for Federal Offices
The U.S. Senate began hearings on many of President Trump’s nominees for Cabinet positions. The Democrats did their usual trying to accuse Republicans of many things. The only position at the moment, that had a connection to gun rights, was the nomination of the former Attorney General of Florida, Pam Bondi, who has been nominated for Attorney General of the United States. Since she was AG in Florida during the Parkland High School Shooting, she was responsible for Florida’s red flag law and the law denying 18 to 20-year-olds from exercising their Second Amendment rights. The Reload covered her hearing in a podcast.
State Legislation and local communities
All state legislatures are in session in 2025.
Many state legislatures allow the prefiling of bills before they begin their sessions.
States convening the week of January 6: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming
California: Due to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Bruen decision, the California Department of Justice embarked on a multi-year strategy to “Bruen-proof” their concealed carry statute. The first part of the strategy was to pass SB2 in 2023, which was accomplished. Now, the DOJ is proposing a rule-making process to implement SB2. The DOJ has managed to obfuscate the public’s right to know by publishing a “Summary” on this page. All the documents one will need to read and understand before submitting a comment on the rules are listed on this page. Those documents include:
1. Notice of proposed rulemaking; 2. Text of proposed Regulations; 3. Initial Statement of Reasons; 4. Economic and Fiscal Impact Statement (STD 399); and 5. The STD399 document.
On the Summary page, they list forms, but those forms are not to be used; applicants must go to the FORMS page to apply.
After attempting to understand this prime example of bureaucratic gobbledygook, you can write a comment to: bofregulations@doj.ca.gov or by USPS mail to PO Box 160487, Sacramento, CA 95816.
Kentucky: Medical marijuana became legal in Kentucky on Jan. 1, making it the 38th state to legalize the substance for medical use. However, federal law still classifies marijuana as an illegal controlled substance. Under the Gun Control Act of 1968, using marijuana — even for medical purposes — prohibits you from legally owning firearms. In an act of bipartisanship, Kentucky lawmakers proposed a resolution asking the feds for some common sense. Kentucky lawmakers are pushing for a change to a federal law that makes it illegal for medical marijuana patients to own a gun.
Last week, Democratic Louisville Sen. David Yates and Republican Sen. Stephen West introduced a resolution urging Congress to amend the Gun Control Act to allow medical marijuana users to maintain their gun rights. Yates said he knows people personally affected by the law, including a friend who was hesitant to obtain a medical marijuana card for fear of losing their gun rights.
The resolution will not directly change federal law, because that is up to congress. Instead, it calls on Kentucky’s federal lawmakers, like U.S. Senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul, and Rep. Morgan McGarvey, to introduce legislation that would amend the Gun Control Act.
Hawaii: The Hawaii legislature began its 2025 session with several anti-gun bills pre-filed. Three bills impose mandatory firearm storage: HB124, HB136, and HB138. HB150 bans citizens from lending firearms. SB174 implements restrictions on ammunition purchases. SB128 removes Second Amendment rights for anyone prosecuted for trespassing on agricultural land. SB308 expands current restrictions on detachable magazines on pistols to all firearms.
Maine: Governor Mills is going to balance her state budget on the backs of hunters, fishermen and archers by increasing state fees for both resident and non-resident outdoor people. Maine has over 200,000 hunting license holders, and according to a Sportsmen’s Alliance study, those people provide over $307 million in annual economic impact.
Ohio: SB58, a bill prohibiting the state from requiring fees or insurance for firearms owners that also included the Second Amendment Privacy Act that prohibits payment processors from using firearm-specific merchant category codes for firearms, ammunition, and components
Virginia: The House Public Safety Committee on Firearms, which has an anti-gun majority on the committee, is already trying to push their anti-Second Amendment views. Two anti-Second Amendment bills, HB1597, mandatory firearm storage with criminal penalties, and HB1660, a new definition of “trigger activator” that could make normal trigger upgrades and modifications illegal, are being considered. Additionally, HB1559 clarifies the Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) renewal process, and HB1569 would reduce the CHP fee structure.
On Friday, Jan. 17, a number of anti-gun bills are scheduled for both the House Public Safety Committee and the Senate Courts of Justice Committee. Additionally, three pro-gun bills have been introduced SB837, reducing the age for a Right-to-Carry Permit to age 18; SB849, which would require that the State Police issue an out-of-state permit within 90 days if it does not determine the applicant is unfit; and SB1025, would allow law-abiding citizens to carry firearms into Virginia rest areas.
Wisconsin: Gover Tony Evers signed Executive Order 254, which established an Office of Violence Prevention in the state and authorized $10 million in funding. Expect more anti-gun governors to help fund the anti-gun groups through such executive orders.
Washington: On Jan. 21, the House Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee and the Senate Law and Justice Committees have scheduled hearings simultaneously to hear gun bills. The following bills will be considered—HR bills in the House committee and SB bills in the Senate committee. HB 1163 establishes a permit-to-purchase scheme for the right to purchase, transfer, and possess firearms; HB 1132 restricts firearm purchases to 1 gun every 30 days and includes restrictions on ammunition purchase; and HB 1152 requires mandatory locked storage of firearms in vehicles and residences, and ammunition must be stored separately from firearms. SB 5099 introduces new business operations for FFLs, adding to the restrictions imposed last session that have yet to take effect. This bill will lead to the closure of many gun stores in Washington. A late-minute addition to the list is HR1385, a copy of the California excise tax law that adds an additional 11% on the sale of ammunition and firearms.
