DOJ Files Lawsuit Challenging District of Columbia’s “Assault Weapons” Ban

The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, through its Second Amendment Section, has filed a lawsuit challenging the District of Columbia’s “assault weapons” ban.

The complaint, filed in United States v. District of Columbia, contends that the District’s de facto ban on common semiautomatic firearms—including the AR-15, the most popular rifle in America—violates the Second Amendment.

The United States seeks a declaration that the District’s policies are unconstitutional, as well as a permanent injunction requiring the District to allow possession of the banned firearms.

Additionally, the DOJ requested that any “current or prospective gun owner” who believes he or she is “being prevented from registering or owning a lawful firearm” “submit a complaint through https://www.justice.gov/crt/second-amendment-section.”

The lawsuit follows recent DOJ involvement in other challenges to similar prohibitions. In recent months, the DOJ has filed amicus briefs in two NRA challenges to “assault weapon” bans. In June, the DOJ filed an amicus brief in Barnett v. Raoul, arguing that Illinois’s prohibitions on “assault weapons” and “large-capacity” magazines violate the Second Amendment; Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon even participated in oral argument. In September, the DOJ filed another amicus brief in ANJRPC v. Platkin, an NRA challenge to New Jersey’s bans on “assault firearms” and “large-capacity” magazines.

Please stay tuned to www.nraila.org for future updates on NRA-ILA’s ongoing efforts to defend your constitutional rights, and please visit www.nraila.org/litigation to keep up to date on NRA-ILA’s ongoing litigation efforts.