On April 2, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit granted the D.C.’s motion to voluntarily dismiss an appeal of the ruling that held the District’s ban on carrying a firearm outside the home for self-defense was unconstitutional. The District’s decision not to continue the appeal ends one of the last outright bans on carrying firearms in the United States.
While this marks the end of the District’s total ban, those wishing to lawfully carry firearms in D.C. still have a long way to go before all law-abiding individuals have a legal means of exercising their right to bear arms in the District. Shortly after the ban was held unconstitutional last July, the D.C. council adopted a temporary law that makes it all but impossible to get a license to carry a concealed pistol. A nearly identical version of that temporary law is still in effect, and a permanent version is under review by Congress and set to become law on May 30.
Plaintiffs in the case have attempted to enjoin the newly enacted D.C. carry law as contrary to the court’s order that required D.C. to create a licensing system that complies with the Second Amendment, but the court has yet to rule on the injunction. Perhaps the best hope for recognition of the right to bear arms in the District was introduced in Congress last week by U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and U.S. Representative Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). “The Second Amendment Enforcement Act of 2015” includes a “shall-issue licensing” system that would only allow the District to deny a license to individuals who fail a background check or who do not satisfy other objective criteria. (See related story.)
Please contact your U.S. Senators and U.S. Representative and urge them to cosponsor and support “The Second Amendment Enforcement Act of 2015.”
You can contact your U.S. Senators and U.S. Representative by phone at (202) 224-3121 or by using our "Write Your Lawmakers" tool at www.NRAILA.org.
D.C. Gives Up Defending Total Ban on Carrying Firearms, Shifts to Defense of Near-Total Ban
Friday, April 3, 2015
Thursday, February 26, 2026
Today, the National Rifle Association announced the filing of a third lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA). The case, Roberts v. ATF, was filed in the U.S. District Court for ...
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
Following committee votes on Tuesday, February 24th, and Wednesday, February 25th, many of the most egregious gun controls bills in the legislature have stalled and may not receive further action this session.
Monday, February 2, 2026
Astute Virginia gun owners anticipated terrible gun control legislation from the 2026 General Assembly. Still, some may be shocked to learn that anti-rights zealots in the Virginia Senate have advanced a bill to CONFISCATE standard capacity firearm ...
Tuesday, February 17, 2026
Today, February 17th is the legislative crossover deadline in Virginia, and any bills that have not left their chamber of origin by the end of the day are considered dead for the session.
Monday, February 23, 2026
What the Second Amendment community has long known has become increasingly difficult for gun grabbers to deny: no handgun is safe from the prohibitionist agenda.
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