News Wrap - August 15, 2025
In D.C., in the states, and in the courts
High-profile shootings over the past few weeks—including in New York City, at the headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, and at a Target in Austin, Texas—have cast a spotlight back on gun-related violence in the United States. As we have previously reported (here, here, and here), 2025 has seen a sweeping rollback of gun safety policies that were put into place during the Biden Administration, as well as steep funding cuts for prevention programs. A recent analysis by Reuters reveals the magnitude of those cuts: $158 million, representing half of all federal funding, has been slashed from programs providing funds to local gun-violence prevention groups in cities across the country.
Here’s some other news you might have missed:
The Justice Department has proposed a rule to revive §18 U.S.C. 925(c), which creates a pathway for people convicted of offenses that resulted in the elimination of their gun rights to have them restored on a case-by-case basis.
The rule was put into place in 1968 as part of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act, but has been inactive since 1992 due to funding restrictions.
The offenses for which a person’s gun rights are revoked include federal and non-misdemeanor state crimes punishable by more than a year of prison time, and state misdemeanors punishable by more than two years imprisonment, including drug- and domestic violence-related charges.
The authority to undertake this process has been transferred from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to the Office of the Pardon Attorney, part of the Department of Justice.
President Trump’s pick for U.S. Attorney for D.C., Jeannine Pirro, has taken a slightly different tack towards the issue—at least publicly. Pirro’s new position prosecutes both federal offenses and street-level local crime in D.C. Upon Senate confirmation this month, she said, “We will not only aggressively prosecute violent felons who illegally possess firearms, but also those who carry illegal firearms into our district.”
Around 30 ATF Special Agents are part of the coalition of federal law enforcement agencies involved in President Trump’s law enforcement operation in Washington, D.C.
You’ve likely heard that the president has deployed about 800 National Guard troops to the capital and federalized control of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department in response to a group of adolescents assaulting a former DOGE staffer in the nation’s capital.
The Home Rule Act of 1973 empowers local authorities to oversee the District, but also allows the president to take control of the local police for up to 30 days during emergencies, which President Trump invoked.
What you may not have known is that the ATF is also involved in the effort. However, according to The Reload, the agency could not say exactly what its mission is or what, if any, deployment restrictions its agents are operating under.
The involvement of ATF agents, particularly with masks covering their faces, may put pro-gun rights advocates unexpectedly at odds with the administration—as many of these advocates harbor deep skepticism of the agency.
The Bottom Line
While the Trump Administration is broadly striking down a wide swath of gun safety regulations and cutting funds for programs intended to reduce gun violence, it is beefing up federal law enforcement with a model in Washington, D.C., that it plans to export to other U.S. cities soon. These moves not only may not stand up to constitutional scrutiny, but also might diminish the support of one of President Trump’s most loyal voting blocs—gun owners.
At 97Percent, we think there’s a much better way to reduce gun deaths that gun owners and non-gun owners can get behind. Learn more here.
In the States
August 13, 2025: Data shows that more Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) petitions were filed in Minnesota in the first seven months of this year than all of 2024. Also, of the 284 petitions filed through Aug. 1, just 14, or 5%, were rejected by a state court judge. Why are the number of petitions on the rise? Because there is growing buy-in from police. Read more here: MinnPost
Training of law enforcement is key to effective ERPO use and implementation. Learn more about 97Percent’s training programs.
In the Courts
August 8, 2025: A Washington gun shop is taking its case against the state’s ban on the sale of high-capacity ammunition magazines to the U.S. Supreme Court. Gator’s Custom Guns in Kelso filed a petition asking the high court to review the state Supreme Court’s decision in May upholding the controversial law. Supporters of the restriction see it as an important step for quelling gun violence. Read more here: Washington State Standard
Related: A divided federal appeals court in July said California’s first-of-its-kind law requiring firearm owners to undergo background checks to buy ammunition is unconstitutional, violating the Second Amendment right to bear arms. —Reuters
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