Justice Department antitrust chief Gail Slater just dropped a bombshell by stepping down from her Assistant Attorney General post, explicitly tying her exit to advancing America First antitrust. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill bureaucratic shuffle—Slater, a Trump-era appointee who spearheaded aggressive crackdowns on Big Tech monopolies, is bowing out amid whispers of internal friction within the Biden DOJ. Her tenure saw the Antitrust Division claw back at Silicon Valley giants like Google and Apple for stifling competition, but her departure signals a potential pivot away from that populist edge toward more progressive, regulation-heavy priorities that could hamstring innovation across industries, including firearms manufacturing.
For the 2A community, this is a double-edged sword with serious implications. Slater’s America First framing echoes Trumpian deregulation vibes, which have historically shielded gun makers from overreaching federal scrutiny—think how antitrust probes have occasionally spotlighted anti-gun collusion among banks or retailers post-Parkland. Her exit might embolden Biden’s FTC and DOJ to ramp up scrutiny on the firearms sector, potentially framing manufacturers like Smith & Wesson or Ruger as monopolistic for dominating defensive pistol markets, or targeting ammo suppliers amid ongoing shortages. We’ve seen this playbook before: leftist antitrust warriors love weaponizing competition law against disfavored industries, much like they did with Big Oil. On the flip side, if her move galvanizes pro-2A antitrust reformers in a potential Trump 2024 comeback, it could mean dismantling woke corporate boycotts that starve gun stores of payment processing—real wins for small FFLs and everyday carriers.
The ripple effects extend to supply chains critical for AR-15 parts and 9mm production, where any DOJ shift could invite frivolous merger blocks or predatory lawsuits. 2A advocates should watch this like hawks: Slater’s departure is a canary in the coal mine for how antitrust enforcement might morph into a tool for gun control by proxy. Stay vigilant, stock up on brass, and keep pushing back—America First antitrust could be our best ally in keeping the Second Amendment locked and loaded.
