An initiative from the Biden administration, purportedly aimed at addressing domestic terrorism while undermining Second Amendment rights, has been revealed by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. The 15-page document, titled “Strategic Implementation Plan for Countering Domestic Terrorism,” details extensive measures that would have been enacted if former President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris had secured victory in the 2024 election.
Advocates for gun rights have consistently highlighted aspects of this plan as instances of presidential overreach and unconstitutional threats to gun ownership. Gun Owners of America referenced a section of the report, “Confronting Long-Term Contributors to Domestic Terrorism,” which urged the Biden-Harris administration to take decisive action to “[r]ein in the proliferation of ‘ghost guns’; promote state adoption of extreme risk protection orders; and pursue other executive and legislative measures, including the prohibition of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.” The authors articulated goals such as reducing lethal means for committing domestic terrorism, providing early intervention for potentially dangerous individuals, reinforcing norms of non-violent political expression while rejecting racism and bigotry, and enhancing civic education to foster democratic resilience. They implied a rollback of Second Amendment rights, asserting that President Biden devised a “secret plan to eliminate the Second Amendment under the pretext of ‘counterterrorism,’” as stated by the gun rights organization on X.
Extreme risk protection orders, often referred to as “red flag” laws, continue to be a subject of significant controversy. In states where these laws are enacted, they typically allow friends, family members, counselors, chaplains, employers, or other mandated reporters to notify authorities.Red flag laws have been implemented for several years in various blue states, where legislators often cite reductions in domestic violence and mass shootings as reasons for their existence. Nevertheless, cities such as Chicago and Los Angeles continue to experience significant levels of violent crime involving unregistered firearms. This situation is frequently highlighted by gun rights advocates who question the effectiveness of additional laws or restrictions in tackling the problem of illegal gun ownership. President Donald Trump has enacted multiple executive orders that reverse President Biden’s limitations on the Second Amendment. These measures align with the commitments he made to the NRA during his campaign last year. “Every single Biden attack on gun owners and manufacturers will be terminated on my very first week back in office, perhaps my first day,” Trump stated at the NRA’s Presidential Forum last February.