DOJ Takes on D.C. in 2A Rights Case

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) has released the following statements from Knox Williams, senior fellow for American Justice and Leigh Ann O’Neill, chief legal affairs officer, in response to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) recently filed lawsuit against the District of Columbia’s attempted “assault rifle” and suppressor ban:

  "The DOJ’s challenge to D.C.'s unconstitutional suppressor ban is first of its kind, proving once again that the constitutional protections are a serious priority for the Trump Administration," said Williams. "Suppressors protect the hearing of shooters and everyone nearby, while also reducing noise disturbance for neighbors and helping new shooters acclimate to safe firearm use. Despite nearly a century of draconian regulations, suppressors are now owned by millions of Americans. This decisive action by the DOJ recognizes the reality that suppressors and AR-15s are protected by the Second Amendment and cannot be categorically banned.”

“The DOJ is taking to the courts to protect the fundamental liberties of all Americans,” added O’Neill. “The U.S. Constitution, and decades of legal precedent, prove that common use firearms are protected liberties. The District of Columbia, has no right to ban weapons or accessories that tens of millions of Americans lawfully possess and use.”

AFPI applauds this historic case, as a federal agency fights to protect the rights of Americans locally in our nation’s capital.