Along with other difficult tidings, the last couple of weeks brought the unfortunate news that two key figures in the Trump administration’s Second Amendment Renaissance were leaving government service. Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Harmeet K. Dhillon and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Chief Counsel Robert Leider have both tendered their resignations. Their absence will be felt by gun owners and firearm industry members who benefited from the energy and vision they brought to their roles.
Harmeet Dhillon had become the face of the administration’s commitment to the Second Amendment. In frequent social media posts, public appearances, and – most importantly – legal filings, she underscored the Trump administration’s position that the Second Amendment is not a second-class civil right. As chief of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, she presided over the creation of a dedicated Second Amendment Section and a historic series of lawsuits filed in affirmative support of the right to keep and bear arms.
One of those cases – against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LCSD) for excessive delays in the issuance of concealed carry permits – has already been settled, with the LCSD agreeing to reform its procedures. Other pending cases involve challenges against bans on popular semiautomatic rifles (Denver, Colo., Virginia, Washington, D.C.); a ban on Glock handguns (California); excessive fees for concealed carry permits (San Jose, Cal., warning letter sent to Glendale, Cal.); excessively burdensome permits to purchase or licensing schemes (Minnesota; U.S. Virgin Islands); a ban on standard capacity magazines (Colorado); and overly restrictive “sensitive place” limitations on carrying firearms (Montgomery County, Md.).
During Dhillon’s watch, DOJ filed numerous amicus briefs in cases by private parties challenging gun control laws under the Second Amendment. Dhillon herself personally argued against Illinois’ semi-automatic firearms and standard capacity magazine bans before the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Barnett v. Raoul.
Herself a gun owner from San Francisco, Cal., Dhillon is familiar with the prior restraints and arbitrary restrictions facing law-abiding gun owners in anti-gun jurisdictions. She brought a zeal to her Second Amendment work on behalf of DOJ that was refreshing and even disarming to longtime Second Amendment advocates used to a federal bureaucracy that, at best, had grudgingly tolerated private firearm ownership.
Harmeet Dhillon will be returning to her private law practice in San Francisco and will be greatly missed by the Second Amendment community she served briefly but prolifically.
Robert Leider joined the Trump administration from the Antonin Scalia School of Law at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. As a law professor, he had published on Second Amendment topics as well as on the law of self-defense and use of force. His teaching focused on criminal law and torts.
Leider’s tenure at ATF began in early 2025, and in less than two years, he implemented one of the most significant regulatory reform efforts in the agency’s history. He oversaw the development and publication of more than 40 proposed and final agency rules, an enormous accomplishment for a relatively brief tenure. Thirty-four of these administrative actions were released over a single week during April and May of 2026. They covered a huge range of topics, from technical amendments to existing procedures to proposals that promised to broadly relieve industry members and ordinary gun owners from government red tape.
Leider’s term also coincided with the hugely consequential decision for ATF to suspend enforcement of various provisions of the National Firearms Act nationwide in order to comply with the spirit of more limited court injunctions and promote greater consistency.
In general, he also provided over a period of increasing reconciliation between ATF, the firearms industry, and American gun owners, helping to implement what the agency had announced as a “new era of reform” after its weaponization under Biden-Harris. The Trump ATF promised: “We are fundamentally changing course with a renewed focus on rebuilding trust with federal firearms licensees (FFLs), gun owners, and the public by prioritizing public safety and collaboration.” Leider was instrumental in steering the agency’s legal positions throughout this process, and much progress has been made.
Robert Leider will return to his professorship at the Antonin Scalia School of Law.
The media has circulated rumors about the reasons for the departures, but it is hardly unusual for government officials involved in the all-consuming work of launching new initiatives to return to the private sector, where their experience is a valued commodity. Tellingly, both Dhillon and Leider were praised by their bosses within the administration.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said of Dhillon:
Today, I accepted the resignation of Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who led the Civil Rights Division with conviction the past 18 months. She has defended the civil liberties of every American and enforced the law without fear or favor. The Department is grateful for her dedicated public service, and we wish her every success in her future endeavors.
Leider was similarly lauded by ATF Director Robert Cekada:
Today, I accepted the resignation of ATF Chief Counsel Robert Leider. Robert has been a trusted advisor and has ably led ATF’s legal and policy work, strengthening the agency’s operations in countless ways. We are grateful for his service and wish him the very best as he returns to George Mason University, which is fortunate to have him back. Best of luck, Robert.
It is not often NRA-ILA has had occasion to lament the departure of any government bureaucrat. In the case of Harmeet Dhillon and Robert Leider, however, the American people are losing the talents of two dedicated and patriotic civil servants. They depart with our own thanks and best wishes for continued success.
To date, no replacements have been named.
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