Arizona Leads 16 States in Supporting Legal Challenge to DC's Anti-Second Amendment Ordinance

PHOENIX – A 16-state coalition led by Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich recently filed an Amicus Brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in the Grace v. District of Columbia Second Amendment legal fight.  Matthew Grace is a member of Pink Pistols, an organization dedicated to the legal, safe, and responsible use of firearms for self-defense within the LGBT community. Arizona is joined in the Amicus Brief by Attorneys General from Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

The question before the Court of Appeals is whether the District's policy of refusing to issue public-carry licenses to law-abiding citizens, unless the District believes the citizen has a "good reason to fear injury" infringes the Second Amendment.

Attorney General Brnovich’s filing highlights why this misguided policy is unconstitutional and cites social science evidence that the District’s regulation does not improve public safety by keeping firearms out of the hands of law-abiding citizens.

The District of Columbia is restricting constitutional rights on a narrow and arbitrary basis,” said Attorney General Mark Brnovich.  “We stand with all law-abiding citizens and their right to defend themselves.”

Since enacting the controversial law in September 2014, the nation’s capital has issued less than 100 licenses.  In 2008, the Supreme Court ruled against the District of Columbia in the Heller case finding a near total ban on handguns was unconstitutional.

Arizona Solicitor General John Lopez and Assistant Solicitor General Keith Miller with the Attorney General's Federalism Unit are handling the state's involvement with this case.

Full copy of the Amicus Brief.