DOJ sues D.C. over semi-automatic gun registration ban
The Justice Department, led by Attorney General Pam Bondi, has filed a federal civil-rights lawsuit against Washington, D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department, arguing that the District’s broad registration ban on AR-15s and other semi-automatic firearms unconstitutionally infringes Second Amendment rights. Announced Monday, the suit contends MPD’s refusal to register 'protected firearms' forces law‑abiding residents either to litigate or risk arrest, and marks the first major case brought by DOJ’s new Second Amendment Section, which officials say will target restrictive gun laws and costly or delayed permitting regimes nationwide.
📌 Key Facts
- Attorney General Pam Bondi announced a DOJ lawsuit Monday against Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department over its ban on registering AR-15s and other semi-automatic firearms.
- The complaint argues that D.C. law imposes a 'broad registration ban' on numerous firearms protected under recent Supreme Court Second Amendment precedent, leading MPD to refuse registrations and risk wrongful arrests.
- The case is being brought by the Civil Rights Division’s newly created Second Amendment Section, which Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon says will also challenge high permit fees, long delays, and other restrictive gun policies in multiple jurisdictions.