The 2024 U.S. Presidential election marks a pivotal moment for sportsmen, gun owners, and conservation organizations, with far-reaching implications for policies, rights, and public land access. As the nation transitions to a new administration, stark contrasts emerge between its anticipated approach and the previous four years. With changes expected in firearm regulations, conservation priorities, and federal policies, the stage is set for a significant shift that could redefine the future of hunting, shooting, and outdoor traditions. To give our industry clarity, I interviewed Mark Oliva, managing director of public affairs at the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), who shared his insights on what lies ahead.
1. Question: What immediate differences can sportsmen, and gun owners expect in policy, law, and funding directives under the new administration?
Answer: We can expect significant changes in how the Trump administration would work with the firearm industry versus what we’ve experienced over the past four years with the Biden-Harris administration. This started, of course, with President Biden calling firearm manufacturers “the enemy” from the debate stage. Since then, his administration has pushed a “whole-of-government” attack on the lawful production and sale of firearms. Immediate changes could be expected in the ATF’s “zero-tolerance” policy, which has seen hundreds of small business firearm retailers lose their licenses over minor clerical errors and many more forced to surrender those licenses instead of incurring the high monetary costs of fighting to keep their licenses. The ATF could be expected to resume the inspection process that was in place for decades, during which inspections were focused on assisting federal firearms licensees to stay within the laws and regulations instead of punishing them for minor clerical errors. For sportsmen, we could expect the Department of the Interior and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reverse course on their “bait-and-switch” tactics of opening more public lands to hunting but forcing hunters to use only alternative ammunition through policies that are devoid of scientific evidence of detrimental wildlife population impacts. The more expensive and less available alternatives force some hunters to abandon their hunting traditions. Hunters should be free to choose which ammunition best suits them, and that aligns with sound science.
2. Question: What immediate differences can conservation organizations expect in policy, law, and funding directives under the new administration?
Answer: Conservation is likely to be the priority for the next administration instead of the preservationist mindset that has been the focus of the Biden-Harris administration. Public lands belong to the public and should be open and available for all hunters, recreational shooters, and outdoor enthusiasts. The Biden-Harris administration, just months ago, restricted the use of public lands and shuttered vast swaths of the Bears Ears National Monument when the law specifically prohibits this action. Public use of public lands benefits all when there is a conservation mindset – that the lands' natural resources and the wildlife that dwell on them should be conserved for future generations instead of walled off and only available to a select few. This invests outdoorsmen and women in the imperative that the lands and wildlife they enjoy are conserved for future generations to have the same opportunities.
3. Question: What will get better or easier for sportsmen?
Answer: There will still be challenges for sure, especially by special-interest groups working to attack hunting at the state level. At the federal level, we can expect some of these barriers to participation to ease. In the final days of 2024, Congress passed the EXPLORE Act, which included the NSSF-priority Range Access Act. When President Biden signs that law, we will see public recreational shooting ranges constructed on qualifying Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service properties where no other public recreational shooting ranges are available nearby. This is a win for recreational shooters and firearm safety and helps make recreational shooters better neighbors across the board. Having safe recreational shooting ranges reduces the likelihood of negligent misuse of firearms and reduces the pollution in our environment. All responsible gun owners want a safe and clean place to shoot and want to see the stereotype of trash-laden ad hoc ranges on public lands become a thing of the past.
4. Question: What will get better or easier for gun owners?
Answer: Gun owners can expect a White House administration that respects the lawful ownership and lawful use of firearms instead of one that demonizes them for exercising their rights. President-elect Trump said that Second Amendment rights would be a priority for him in the next administration, and his overall track record from his previous term bears that out. He supported lawful gun ownership and appointed justices to the U.S. Supreme Court who believe the Constitution and Bill of Rights mean what they say – that the right to keep and bear arms belongs to “We, the People” and not be relegated to the bureaucracy that can pluck it away at a whim.
5. Question: What will get better or easier for conservation organizations?
Answer: Conservation organizations will always have to prove their worth, no matter the administration. What will change is that the Trump administration will listen to the voices in the conservation community and treat their priorities with the value that they deserve.
6. Question: What will become more difficult for sportsmen and conservation organizations?
Answer: There will still be battles on the state fronts for many sportsmen and women. Take the example of Colorado and Arizona. Colorado introduced wolves onto the landscape through a ballot initiative. That didn’t account for the impact those wolves would have on wildlife and ranching, and we’ve seen that even the Native American tribes that assisted in relocating wolves to Colorado have abandoned that program because it isn’t being administered the way they were promised. Ranchers are pleading with the state to take more decisive measures to deal with predation on livestock. We saw special-interest groups try to push a ban on big cat hunting in Colorado that would have cost the state tens of millions of dollars and could have had devastating impacts on elk and mule deer. That was voted down. However, some of those same special-interest anti-hunting groups are trying to do the same thing in Arizona now.
7. Question: What will become more difficult for gun owners and conservation organizations?
Answer: Gun owners in some states still face significant challenges. Washington state lawmakers pre-filed bills that would radically change the process to lawfully obtain a firearm, including permits-to-purchase, state-mandated efficiency tests, registration, and more. Colorado passed a 6.5 percent excise tax on all firearm businesses by ballot initiative in 2024. That will increase the cost of exercising the right to purchase a firearm legally. Other issues, like bans on entire classes of firearms and standard-capacity magazines, are making their way through the courts, and the U.S. Supreme Court is still considering a petition to challenge at least one state’s ban on Modern Sporting Rifles.
8. Question: What are some new administration concerns you have that may surprise the hunting, shooting, and conservation communities?
Answer: NSSF hopes the incoming administration will improve the outlook on hunting, recreational shooting, and conservation. The record of achievement is there. The reality is that this administration is facing significant challenges on many issues that will require Congress to address some of these issues as well. The interests of the hunting, shooting, and conservation community are only one part of a big “to-do” list for the next four years. This is also why NSSF urges all hunters and gun owners to remain plugged in and attend their polling places in local and midterm elections. Those voting opportunities are no less critical to the viability of our priorities than the presidential elections.
9. Question: What can advocates within the hunting, shooting, and conservation communities do to engage the new administration successfully, and specifically, what will be different about this engagement versus the past administration?
Answer: Advocates should engage with their elected officials. Voters hire them to do a job, and the hunting, shooting, and conservation communities must remind them that our voices deserve to be heard and respected. If they are discounted, then voters have the option to hire someone else who will represent their interests. Additionally, as policies are presented, those same communities should make those policymakers aware of their support or opposition. Public engagement in the policy process is invaluable, and voices make a difference. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently rolled back a “woke” policy proposal that would have put climate change ahead of conservation policies for public lands. That policy proposal was abandoned after more than 50,000 comments were submitted to the Federal Register, most of which told policymakers that this agenda wasn’t acceptable.
As the 2024 political landscape evolves, the future of sportsmen, gun owners, and conservation organizations will be shaped by opportunities and challenges. The incoming administration’s focus on public land access, Second Amendment rights, and science-driven conservation policies offers hope for positive change. However, success will depend on the active involvement of these communities. By staying informed, engaging policymakers, and advocating for their priorities, hunters, recreational shooters, and conservationists can ensure their voices are heard and their traditions preserved for future generations. The power to shape the future lies in collective action and unwavering commitment.
Jay Pinsky
Editor - The Hunting Wire
jay@theoutdoorwire.com