Rutledge urges D.C. Circuit to strike down unlawful firearm law

LITTLE ROCK -- Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge has joined a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general, urging the Washington D.C. Court of Appeals to strike down a restrictive and unlawful firearm law put in place by the Washington D.C. City Council.

The District refuses to issue a public-carry license to any law-abiding citizen unless the District believes, on a case-by-case basis, that a citizen has "good reason to fear injury." The attorneys general believe that such a scheme makes it almost impossible for a normal citizen to obtain a license to carry a firearm, thus infringes the Second Amendment, and does nothing to improve public safety.

The attorneys general write in the brief that "the challenged regulation represents a policy choice that is foreclosed by the Second Amendment. Amici states are concerned that upholding the challenged regulation would rest on an erroneous construction of the United States Constitution and would infringe on individual rights. While states may enact reasonable firearm regulations that are substantially related to the achievement of an important governmental interest, the challenged regulation does nothing to improve public safety and instead may be counterproductive."

"It is not my role, nor is it my intent, to interfere with local policy choices, but I have a duty to speak out when law-abiding citizens are having their Second Amendment rights trampled," said Attorney General Rutledge. "The District, like Arkansas, is entitled to create permitting laws consistent with the Constitution, but this law goes far beyond that. It requires citizens to have and prove a special reason to exercise their right to bear a firearm. The permitting scheme is being applied to prevent the large majority of D.C. citizens from lawfully carrying a weapon."

Led by Arizona, Rutledge is joined in the brief by attorneys general from Alabama, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Editor's Note: We might challenge whether permitting laws are consistent with the Constitution, but we applaud Rutledge for opposing actions which entirely strip away rights protected by the Second Amendment.