Michael Bloomberg may not dominate headlines the way he once did, but the anti-gun movement he helped bankroll is still aggressively pushing policies designed to make lawful firearm ownership more difficult for ordinary Americans.
The latest example comes from the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, which recently released a sweeping “Public Carry Permitting Model Policy Guide” advocating a maze of new fees, mandates, paperwork requirements, training rules, and bureaucratic obstacles for citizens seeking concealed carry permits.
The guide presents itself as “evidence informed public health policy,” but critics argue it completely ignores the actual drivers of violent crime while focusing almost entirely on burdening lawful gun owners.
More Bureaucracy, Fewer Rights
The recommendations read less like crime prevention and more like a wish list for anti-gun activists.
Among the proposals are expanded licensing requirements, in-person permit applications, additional training mandates, increased fees, and stricter reciprocity rules between states.
The policy guide also reportedly pushes to eliminate temporary emergency carry permits for people facing immediate threats.
That means someone dealing with a stalker, abusive ex-partner, or credible threat could be forced to wait weeks or months for government approval before legally carrying a firearm for self-defense.
Critics say that exposes the central flaw in modern gun control activism: it treats violent crime as a paperwork issue rather than a criminal issue.
Violent offenders already ignore firearm laws, magazine restrictions, gun-free zones, and permitting requirements altogether. Yet instead of focusing on repeat offenders, gang networks, illegal trafficking, or weak prosecution policies, these proposals place new burdens almost exclusively on people already trying to follow the law.
The Supreme Court Already Rejected Parts of This
The recommendations also appear to revive discretionary permitting systems the Supreme Court already struck down in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen.
That landmark ruling held that states cannot force citizens to prove a “special need” before exercising their constitutional right to carry a firearm in public.
But opponents argue Bloomberg-backed organizations continue searching for new ways to impose de facto restrictions through endless administrative hurdles instead of outright bans.
The strategy is simple: if outright prohibition fails constitutionally, make the process expensive, slow, confusing, and discouraging enough that fewer people participate.
Ignoring Defensive Gun Use
One of the biggest criticisms of the Johns Hopkins guide is what it leaves out entirely.
The report reportedly contains little discussion of defensive gun use or the role armed citizens can play during emergencies before police arrive.
That omission stands in stark contrast to the position taken by nearly half the nation’s state attorneys general, who previously argued that concealed carry rights can provide “substantial public safety benefits” by allowing citizens to respond to threats when law enforcement is unavailable.
Supporters of concealed carry point to countless real-world examples where armed civilians stopped violent attacks, defended themselves during home invasions, or protected others during emergencies.
Yet many modern gun control organizations continue framing lawful firearm ownership itself as the problem.
Bloomberg’s Long War on Gun Rights
The influence of Michael Bloomberg still looms large over the national gun control movement through organizations like Everytown for Gun Safety and affiliated advocacy groups.
Critics argue these organizations routinely market their proposals as “commonsense safety measures” while pursuing policies that gradually erode the practical ability of Americans to exercise Second Amendment rights.
The latest permitting guide fits squarely into that pattern.
At a time when many major cities continue struggling with repeat violent offenders, organized theft rings, soft-on-crime prosecution policies, and declining public trust in law enforcement response times, Bloomberg-backed activists are once again targeting concealed carry permit holders instead of violent criminals.
And for millions of gun owners, that says everything.
