Bloomberg-Funded Gun Control Media Outlet Files Federal Lawsuit Against Justice Department

Clear Facts

• Bloomberg-funded anti-gun media outlet Trace filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice seeking records about the newly created Second Amendment Section
• The Second Amendment Section was established within DOJ’s Civil Rights Division to protect constitutional gun rights from state and local government overreach
• The lawsuit claims DOJ has not adequately responded to Freedom of Information Act requests about the section’s creation and operations

A media organization funded by billionaire Michael Bloomberg’s gun control advocacy network has filed a federal lawsuit against the Department of Justice. The litigation seeks internal communications and documents related to the Trump administration’s new Second Amendment Section.

The Trace, which receives funding from Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety, filed the complaint in federal court this week. The organization claims the DOJ has failed to properly respond to multiple Freedom of Information Act requests submitted since the Second Amendment Section was announced.

I’ve directed the @CivilRights Division, through our new Second Amendment Section, to defend law-abiding Americans from unconstitutional restrictions. No one should face criminal penalties simply for exercising a right shared by tens of millions—regardless of where they live.…

— AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) May 5, 2026

The new division was created within the Civil Rights Division specifically to defend Americans’ constitutional right to keep and bear arms. It represents a significant shift in how the federal government approaches gun rights enforcement.

According to the lawsuit, The Trace submitted FOIA requests seeking records about how the section was established, who is staffing it, and what cases it plans to pursue. The media outlet argues these documents are matters of public interest that should be disclosed.

“The American people have a right to know how their government is operating, especially when it involves the protection of constitutional rights,” the lawsuit states.

The Second Amendment Section has a published mission statement outlining its purpose. The division aims to challenge state and local laws that infringe upon Second Amendment rights and to defend lawful gun owners from government overreach.

Conservative legal experts have praised the creation of the section as a long-overdue recognition that the Second Amendment deserves the same robust federal protection as other constitutional rights. For decades, the Civil Rights Division has enforced voting rights, religious liberty, and free speech protections, but gun rights were notably absent from that portfolio.

Bloomberg has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on gun control advocacy efforts nationwide. His organizations have funded ballot initiatives, supported anti-gun candidates, and established media outlets like The Trace to shape public opinion on firearms policy.

Critics of the lawsuit argue that The Trace is attempting to gather intelligence that could be used to undermine the Second Amendment Section’s work before it can effectively defend gun rights. The timing of the legal action, coming shortly after the section’s creation, has raised questions about the outlet’s motivations.

The Department of Justice has not yet filed a formal response to the complaint. Government agencies typically have specific timeframes to respond to FOIA requests, though those deadlines can be extended under certain circumstances involving sensitive or voluminous records.

Legal analysts expect the case to proceed through standard FOIA litigation procedures. Courts generally require agencies to justify any withholding of records by citing specific exemptions in the law, such as those protecting deliberative processes or law enforcement operations.

The outcome could determine how much transparency the public receives about the inner workings of this new federal initiative to protect gun rights. It may also set precedents for how advocacy-oriented media organizations can use FOIA to scrutinize government programs they oppose.

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