President Donald Trump has nominated Todd Blanche as the next U.S. Attorney General, following Pam Bondi’s dismissal.
Mr. Blanche is currently serving as acting Attorney General for the Trump Administration. Many gun rights activists hope he will be better on gun rights than Bondi, who was seen as a disappointment due to her perceived lack of support for expanding gun rights and her support for certain gun control measures, such as defending the National Firearms Act (NFA) regulations on suppressors, short-barreled rifles (SBRs), short-barreled shotguns (SBSs), and any other weapons (AOWs).
Mr. Blanche, originally from suburban Denver, graduated from American University and Brooklyn Law School while working as a paralegal. He clerked for federal judges, served for over 15 years with the Department of Justice, and was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York, where he co-led the violent crimes unit. Blanche left the DOJ in 2014 to join the law firms WilmerHale and Cadwalader. He later joined Wickersham & Taft as a partner in the white-collar defense practice. He would go on to represent Donald Trump in multiple criminal cases (e.g., hush money, classified documents, and election-related charges).
Will Blanche Walk The Walk On The Second Amendment?
When Trump recaptured the White House, he appointed Blanche as Deputy Attorney General, then Acting Attorney General. He has worked closely with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Director Robert Cekada on improving the ATF’s stance on gun policy to stop targeting law-abiding gun owners. These efforts include backing a landmark package of 34 regulatory reforms at the DOJ/ATF, described as the most comprehensive in history. These reforms aim to align rules with Supreme Court precedents (Bruen, Heller), reduce burdens on FFLs and owners, eliminate ambiguity, and prevent inconsistent enforcement.
Mr. Blanche has family ties to the gun industry. His wife’s family has been in the gun industry for decades. His father-in-law founded Checkmate Industries in 1968. Checkmate Industries manufactures magazines and related products. He has been open about these connections, including the fact that his mother has a concealed carry permit.
“My mom, for the first time, just told me she has a concealed carry permit!” Blanche told Tom Gresham on Gun Talk Radio. “That’s okay, I love it!”
Mr. Blanche has pushed back against using isolated criminal acts to justify broader restrictions on law-abiding citizens. These restrictions included the Biden Administration’s zero-tolerance policy against federal firearms licensees (FFLs) that shuttered gun stores across the country. This shift shows a willingness to go after criminals instead of targeting Americans for practicing a fundamental right.
“They are no longer going after FFLs,” Blanche said. “There’s no longer a zero-tolerance policy where if you don’t cross a T or dot an I, we’re going to shut you down.”
Mr. Blanche is on record stating that his goal is to make changes structurally difficult to undo by future administrations. These changes would theoretically stop an anti-gun President from coming in and changing things back. Blanche believes the best way to do this is to expand gun rights as far as possible while he holds power.
“Going back to the Reagan administration, the gun industry takes two steps forward. And then a Democrat comes in and takes us eight steps back,” he said. “We’re not going to take two steps forward. We’re going to go forward a mile.”
Although Blanche “talks the talk” at events such as the National Rifle Association’s Annual Meeting (NRAAM), it remains to be seen if he “walks the walk.”
A good way to prove that he is a defender of the Second Amendment is to order the Department of Justice to stop defending the NFA against the multiple legal challenges. This one action would prove his pedigree on gun rights.
About John Crump
Mr. Crump is an NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. John has written about firearms, interviewed people from all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons, follow him on X at @right2bear, or at www.crumpy.com.
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