❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a lawsuit against Washington, D.C.’s police department over the district’s ban on several firearms, including the AR-15, citing violations of the Second Amendment.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.’s police department, and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The lawsuit was announced Monday, targeting Washington, D.C.’s firearm restrictions.
💬KEY QUOTE: “This Civil Rights Division will defend American citizens from unconstitutional restrictions of commonly used firearms, in violation of their Second Amendment rights.” – Harmeet K. Dhillon
🎯IMPACT: The case seeks to ensure the enforcement of Second Amendment rights for law-abiding citizens, as established in the landmark Heller decision 17 years ago.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a lawsuit against Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department, arguing that the district’s ban on several firearms, including the AR-15, violates the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit targets restrictions that prohibit residents from owning certain semiautomatic rifles and other firearms that the DOJ says are commonly used for lawful purposes. According to the department, these bans conflict with Supreme Court precedent recognizing citizens’ right to keep and bear arms.
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet K. Dhillon said the case reflects the department’s renewed focus on upholding constitutional rights. “This Civil Rights Division will defend American citizens from unconstitutional restrictions of commonly used firearms, in violation of their Second Amendment rights,” Dhillon stated.
The suit was filed by the DOJ’s newly created Second Amendment Section, which was established to focus specifically on defending gun rights under federal law. The department said the case is intended to uphold the protections recognized in the Supreme Court’s 2008 decision in District of Columbia v. Heller. That ruling struck down D.C.’s handgun ban and affirmed that the Second Amendment protects the right to possess firearms for lawful purposes such as self-defense in the home.
The DOJ argues that, 17 years after the Heller decision, D.C.’s current firearms restrictions undermine the rights secured by that ruling, including those of the original plaintiff, D.C. resident Dick Heller. Dhillon said the case underscores the importance of ensuring that law-abiding citizens can own firearms without unlawful limitations.
The lawsuit comes as debates over the scope of the Second Amendment continue across the country. In recent years, courts and public officials have taken sharply different views on how broadly the amendment should be applied. Leaders like Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz have openly criticized the Second Amendment, arguing for aggressive gun control measures that conflict with Supreme Court precedent.
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