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DOJ Sues Washington, D.C. Over Ban on AR-15s and Other Firearms
The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against the District of Columbia and its Metropolitan Police Department, alleging the city is enforcing an unconstitutional ban on AR-15 rifles and other commonly owned firearms protected under the Second Amendment.
The lawsuit, announced Monday, claims that while Washington, D.C. technically allows firearm ownership through a registration system, its laws and enforcement practices amount to a de facto ban on many semi-automatic firearms. According to the Justice Department, the Metropolitan Police Department routinely refuses to register firearms that are protected under the Constitution, forcing residents to either forgo ownership or risk arrest while challenging the policy in court.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi said the suit reflects the Justice Department’s renewed focus on defending gun rights nationwide through its newly established Second Amendment Section.
“Washington, D.C.’s ban on some of America’s most popular firearms is an unconstitutional infringement on the Second Amendment,” Bondi said in a statement. “Living in our nation’s capital should not preclude law-abiding citizens from exercising their fundamental constitutional right to keep and bear arms.”
Under current D.C. law, residents must register firearms with the Metropolitan Police Department. However, the Justice Department argues that the D.C. Code includes broad prohibitions on entire classes of firearms, including AR-15-style rifles, which the DOJ says are commonly owned and lawfully used across the country.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said the Civil Rights Division will aggressively challenge what it views as unconstitutional barriers to gun ownership.
Dhillon said the department is also examining high financial barriers tied to gun ownership, including concealed carry permit systems that can cost applicants thousands of dollars to complete. She added that access to firearms plays a critical role in self-defense for groups who may otherwise be more vulnerable, including women and people with disabilities, calling gun rights an equalizing force when it comes to personal safety.
The lawsuit also revisits long-standing legal precedent in the District. In 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of D.C. resident Richard Heller in the landmark case District of Columbia v. Heller, holding that the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to possess a firearm for lawful purposes such as self-defense within the home.
According to the DOJ, despite that ruling, D.C. continues to block ownership of the same types of firearms through registration denials and enforcement practices. The lawsuit alleges that law-abiding residents are still facing wrongful arrests for possessing firearms that should be constitutionally protected.
The Civil Rights Division is bringing the case under its authority to enforce the Second Amendment, the Police Pattern or Practice Act, and Executive Order 14206. The department is also encouraging current or prospective gun owners who believe they have been unlawfully denied registration to submit complaints through its Second Amendment Section.
The case marks one of the most direct federal challenges yet to local gun restrictions since the creation of the Justice Department’s new Second Amendment enforcement unit, signaling that similar actions could follow in other jurisdictions.
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