By Tanya Metaksa
What’s New: HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE votes out H.R, 38 and H.R. 2184; Politics: WI critical state Supreme Court election; Arizona: The House Judiciary Committee has advanced SB1143; Colorado: Call Governor Polis’ office at (303) 866-2471, by email at Governorpolis@state.co.us, by signing the Colorado State Shooting Association Petition, and request he veto SB25-003, initially a sweeping semi-automatic firearm ban, that morphed into a Firearm Owner Identification (FOID)-like “permit-to-purchase” scheme and this new version passed the legislature; Florida: HB759, restoring the rights of young adults to exercise theirSecond Amendment rightspassed the House 68-34; Hawaii: The Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection and the Committee on Judiciary will hold a hearing on HB125; Iowa: HF924, a bill to lower the age requirement for a Right-to-Carry Permit from 21 to 18, passed the House 79-18. Michigan: SB111 passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 18. It is awaiting a third reading after being amended; Montana: The House Taxation Committee held two hearings on March 26 and 27 on House Bill 854, creating a tax credit for firearm suppressor purchases; New Jersey: several bills passed the Assembly; New Mexico: Although the New Mexico legislature adjourned on March 22, 2025, HB12, red flag expansion, was passed and signed by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. Oklahoma: The Senate passed SB500; Oregon: the Senate Committee on Judiciary considering SB243 on April 3 at 2:00 PM: Rhode Island: After an overwhelming show by RI gun owners HB 5436 (the AWB) remains viable; South Carolina: the House Judiciary subcommittee passed H.3930; Texas: SB1523, a bill providing privacy protections for gun-owning foster parents, was heard in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee; Virginia: Governor Youngkin Again Vetoes Oppressive Bills:Washington: On March 26, theHouse Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee passed SB5098, expanding current “gun-free” zones;on March 27 theSenate Law and Justice Committee passed HB1163.
Congress
House Judiciary Committee: The two bills we reported on last week were favorably voted out of the House Judiciary Committee on March 25. H.R. 38, the Constitutional Carry Reciprocity Act, with 177 cosponsors in the House. Additionally, H.R. 2184, the Firearm Due Process Protection Act, which provides a remedy for law-abiding Americans who were improperly denied due to errors in their background checks, was also supported. Both bills could now be brought for a full vote by the House of Representatives.
House Natural Resources Committee: H.R. 845, the Pet and Livestock Protection Act, was the subject of a hearing. This legislation would restore a 2020 Department of the Interior final rule to delist the gray fox from the Endangered Species Act. The Biden administration upheld the final rule, but a judge for the US District Court for the Northern District of California blocked the delisting. This bill was introduced in 2023 and passed the House but not the Senate.
Trump Administration
Department of Justice
Some have asked what President Trump’s Executive Order “Protecting Second Amendment Rights” can accomplish. Last Monday, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. ordered the removal of former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s anti-gun tract, Firearm Violence: A Public Health Crisis in America, from the official Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) website.
Silencers: An article by Cam Edwards about silencers provides more suggestions for the DOJ to implement Trump’s Executive Order by removing silencers from the National Firearms Act.
Solicitor General nomination: The Trump Administration is awaiting President Donald Trump’s nomination of John Sauer to be confirmed as the Department of Justice’s Solicitor General. The Senate confirmation hearing for John Sauer, nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as U.S. Solicitor General, took place on Wednesday, Feb. 26, and the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to send his name to the full Senate on a strict party-line vote. This appointment is essential because the Solicitor General, the President’s lawyer, argues cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.
DOJ interim final rule issued on March 20, 2025:
On March 20, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued an interim final rule that withdraws the Attorney General’s delegation of authority to the ATF for processing petitions to restore Second Amendment rights for federally prohibited persons under 18 U.S.C. 925(c). This historic measure, effective immediately, aims to revive a program dormant since 1992, when Congress defunded the ATF’s administration due to resource concerns and pressure from anti-gun groups. The rule allows another DOJ component, not subject to the funding restriction, to consider such petitions, with comments accepted until June 18. The Trump administration has shifted this function to the Office of the Pardon Attorney, and the new rule formalizes this change, aiming to ensure a process that balances public safety with the restoration of rights for non-dangerous individuals. Comments can be submitted via Regulations.gov, focusing on case-by-case evaluations, not broad amnesty.
Politics
Wisconsin: For the last month, we have been telling everyone that on April 1, there will be a critical state-wide election for a seat in the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Now, at last, we hope that President Trump’s endorsement and Elon Musk’s Town Hall on March 30 help win this election. Attorney Mark W. Smith of The Four Boxes Diner channel on Youtube.com has a compelling video. Send the URL to all your Wisconsin friends and urge them to vote.
All 50 state legislatures are in session in 2025
New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming have adjourned.
Arizona: The House Judiciary Committee has advanced SB1143, which prohibits payment processors from using firearm-specific merchant category codes for firearms, ammunition, and components, and SB1705, which allows a court to fine government officials who knowingly violate state firearms regulations $5,000.
Colorado: SB25-003 is going to Governor Jared Polis, who has 10 days to take action. Let him know you want him to veto it! Call Governor Polis’ office at (303) 866-2471, by email at Governorpolis@state.co.us, by signing the Colorado State Shooting Association Petition. The bill now mandates training—4 hours for concealed carry or hunter safety holders, 12 hours for others—plus sheriff vetting and a firearms safety course eligibility card, all to buy common semi-autos like AR-15s or handguns with detachable magazines. If the Senate accepts the amendment, NPR, the taxpayer-funded organization, has an article explaining the bill:
“The last three to four years, we feel we’ve been under attack,” says Brian Clark, who has owned Bristlecone Shooting, Training and Retail Center in Lakewood, Colorado, just outside Denver, for a decade.
Clark says it would make a significant portion of his inventory illegal overnight, especially when it comes to his rifles and shotguns.
“For our long gun inventory, 60 to 75% of the guns we sell would be affected.”
That includes one of his best-sellers and one of the most popular models in the United States: the AR-15.
Additional bills being considered include:
SB25-205: A bill requiring state FFLs to request a Firearm serial check on any potential purchase is scheduled for a hearing before the Senate State, Veterans, & Military Affairs Committee on April 1.
The following have passed both Houses and are returning to the Senate for Concurrence:
SV25-1238: Placing restrictions on gun show vendors and organizers.
SB25-1133: Adding age restrictions for ammunition purchases.
Florida: On March 26, the House passed HB759, 68-34. This bill lowers the minimum age for purchase of a firearm to 18. The Senate companion bill, SB920, has not had a hearing in the Senate.On March 28, Monique Miller @RepMoniqueM posted this on X.com: “I just got word that my first bill will be heard on the House floor this Thursday. HB 6025 will protect Floridians 2nd Amendment rights in emergencies. Thank you to the Florida @NRA & @GunOwners for supporting this legislation.
“I look forward to its passage.”
Hawaii: The Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection and the Committee on Judiciary will hold a hearing on HB125. The Committee is likely to vote on the bill, which increases firearm storage requirements, for gun owners.
Iowa: HF924, a bill to lower the age requirement for a Right-to-Carry Permit from 21 to 18, passed the House 79-18. However, S-3050 was introduced as an amendment that would limit recourse if there are violations of SJR 7, which would add an amendment to ensure Iowans have a right to hunt, fish, and trap.
Maine: The Joint Standing Committee on Judiciary held public hearings on gun bills on March 26, 2025
Anti-gun bills: LD1109: banning all magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. The House will hold a work session on April 3. Senate Judiciary voted 18-17
LD677: Redefines a machine gun to include semi-automatic firearms that include parts that can “increase the rate of fire. It is a poorly drafted bill that should be defeated. The House will hold a work session on April 3.
LD1126: This bill redefines Maine law to include finished and unfinished receivers, stopping people from repairing and building firearms. A work session on April 3.
Pro-gun bills: The following bills will be considered in a work session on April 3.
LD424: Lowers the age for Right-to-Carry from 21 to 18.
LD 829: Allows Mainers to carry firearms in Maine State Parks without a Right-to-Carry.
LD953: Changes Maine’s current definition of machine guns to match the federal definition.4-3
LD998: Prohibits employers from denying employees from storing firearms in their vehicles.4-3
LD716: On March 27, placed in Legislative Files, and it is DEAD for the year:
Michigan: SB111 passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 18. It is awaiting a third reading after being amended.
Montana: The House Taxation Committee held two hearings on March 26 and 27 on House Bill 854, creating a tax credit for firearm suppressor purchases.
New Jersey: The followingBills passed the Assembly and now go to the Senate: A.4974 penalizes the sale and possession of “machine gun conversion devices;” A.4875, possessing digital instructions to manufacture firearms or components is a crime; A. 4976 establishes a crime of reckless discharge; A.1389. domestic violence restraining orders will lead to confiscation of ammunition and firearms components, and A.5345, requiring payment processors to use firearm-specific merchant category codes for firearms, ammunition, and components,
New Mexico: Although the New Mexico legislature adjourned on March 22, 2025, HB12, red flag expansion, was passed and signed by Governor Lujan Grisham. Additionally, she has threatened a special session on gun control.
Oklahoma: The Senate passed SB500,prohibiting public entities (government agencies) from entering into business contracts unless they certify that they do not discriminate against firearm businesses, 38-8.
Oregon: The evening before a scheduled Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on SB243, the original bill was amended with a 23-page amendment merging four anti-gun bills into a comprehensive, horrendous bill. According to Oregon Firearms, this bill will be considered at the Senate Committee on Judiciary on April 3, 2025, at 2:00 PM.
Rhode Island: After an overwhelming show by RI gun owners, a tweet on x.com read: “Our voice was heard, Rhode Islanders! In addition to MASSIVE amounts of pro-gun patriots showing up (outnumbering the gun grabbers), even Democrats on the committee are voicing issues with HB 5436 (the AWB). @NatlGunRights. The current status of the bill is “held for further study.” That signifies it remains alive.
South Carolina: the House Judiciary subcommittee passed H.3930, prohibiting payment processors from using firearm-specific merchant category codes for firearms, ammunition, and components.
Texas: SB1523, a bill providing privacy protections for gun-owning foster parents, was heard in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. A vote is expected soon.
Virginia: Governor Youngkin Again Vetoes Oppressive Bills: Vetoed bills this year include SB 848, which removed the right of anyone under 21 years of age to purchase certain semiautomatic rifles mistakenly labeled as “assault weapons.” SB 891 established an arbitrary five-day waiting period for the purchase and transfer of firearms. SB 1181 and HB 1607 prohibited the sale of many semiautomatic firearms classified as “assault firearms.” The legislation also banned magazines with a capacity exceeding 10 rounds. SB1450 and HB1608 introduced new civil liabilities for firearm industry members, specifically those involved in the sale, manufacturing, distribution, importation, or marketing of firearm-related products. These bills also allowed the Attorney General or local county or city attorney to enforce the provisions of the legislation through a civil cause of action.
Washington: On March 26, theHouse Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee passed SB5098, expanding current “gun-free” zones; on March 27 theSenate Law and Justice Committee passed HB1163, mandating permits-to-purchase firearms.
