Trump Issues Executive Order to Give Law Enforcement and Families Greater Protection

On January 18, 2021, then-President Donald Trump issued an executive order (EO) that aims to protect law enforcement officials and their families. The order intends to allow qualified active and retired law enforcement officials to carry concealed firearms.

The Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) President, Larry Cosme, said in a letter to members on the new EO, “It is a major policy statement that lays the groundwork for the federal government, including Congress, to make a stronger effort towards ensuring federal law enforcement officers, prosecutors, judges, and their families have the means necessary to stay safe.”

The order states, “It shall be the policy of the United States to remove any undue obstacle preventing current or retired Federal law enforcement officers from carrying a concealed firearm as allowed under the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2004, as amended (18 U.S.C. 926B, 926C) (LEOSA).”

The order was introduced after a federal judge’s son was fatally shot and her husband wounded by a gunman who approached their home in New Jersey last year. The judge, Esther Salas, said of the crime, “Information from the internet allowed this sick and depraved human being to find and target us...there was nothing we could do to stop it and that is unacceptable.”

The policy justification written into the order states, “Judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement officers should not have to choose between public service and subjecting themselves and their families to danger.”

The order also applies to federal prosecutors who feel at risk while performing their government duties. It gives federal prosecutors “special deputation as a Deputy United States Marshal,” which means when prosecutors feel at risk they will have the same protections granted to law enforcement under the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2004.

Larry Leiser, President of the National Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys (NAAUSA) explained in a statement, “Since 2018, nearly 500 threats have been levied against Assistant U.S. Attorneys. As we saw in the attack on Judge Salas, these threats can have tragic consequences if acted upon. For AUSAs these threats are considered a known risk of the job, but the families of AUSAs should not fall victim to the administration of justice.”