NRA Files Second Amended Complaint in Heller v. D.C.

Fairfax, Va. – The National Rifle Association filed a second amended complaint in Dick Anthony Heller et al v. District of Columbia in U.S. District Court. NRA and other plaintiffs are asking the court to issue a preliminary and permanent injunction to prevent the D.C. Council from implementing laws that violate the Second Amendment and from enforcing its prohibitions on the possession of commonly owned firearms.

Chris W. Cox, NRA chief lobbyist, said, “It's time to fully restore the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding residents in the District of Columbia. The D.C. Council’s latest gun registration scheme is proof of D.C.’s continued contempt for the Supreme Court.”

NRA filed the original suit last summer after D.C. enacted a restrictive gun registration law in response to the landmark Supreme Court decision in the first District of Columbia v. Heller. The historic Heller decision struck down D.C.’s long-standing ban on handguns and self-defense in the home. The second amended complaint challenges D.C.'s current laws, which will become permanent in early April if not vetoed by Congress.

Under the current D.C. law, prospective gun owners are required to pass a written test graded at the sole discretion of the Metropolitan Police Department. They must also have vision better or equal to that required to get a driver’s license (even for those who want to possess a collector’s item), submit employment history for the past five years and surrender all handguns for ballistics testing, among other restrictions. The current D.C. law is more stringent than California’s draconian gun laws and bans many firearms commonly owned and used for self-defense. Failure to satisfy these onerous requirements can result in fines of up to $5,000 and up to five years in prison.

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Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen's group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation's leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military.