The U.S. Department of Justice has initiated legal action against the District of Columbia concerning its prohibition on registering semi-automatic firearms, marking the latest development in the ongoing national debate over gun control measures. Filed in federal court on Monday, the lawsuit targets DC’s existing legislation that effectively bans residents from legally possessing AR-15 style rifles and other rapid-loading firearms through registration restrictions.
Attorney General Pam Bondi characterized the district’s firearm regulations as “an unconstitutional infringement on the Second Amendment” in an official statement. The legal challenge emerges from the Justice Department’s recently established gun rights division, whose attorneys argue that current DC statutes prevent law-abiding citizens from possessing these commonly owned firearms for lawful domestic purposes.
This litigation represents the most recent confrontation between the federally Republican administration and the predominantly Democratic district regarding firearm legislation. Washington DC’s unique status as the national capital subjects its local laws and budgetary decisions to congressional oversight, with previous Republican lawmakers having overturned several local gun control initiatives.
Concurrent with this legal action, the Trump administration has pursued measures to relax federal firearm restrictions within the district. U.S. Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro, a former television commentator, announced earlier this summer that her office would cease pursuing felony charges against individuals found carrying rifles or shotguns.
DC maintains comprehensive firearm regulations that permit only residents without criminal convictions to register limited numbers of firearms following mandatory safety training. The district additionally requires specific registrations for carrying weapons outside residential premises and imposes restrictions on public areas where firearms may be carried.
The legal proceedings unfold against a backdrop of heightened security concerns following two significant shooting incidents earlier this year. In May, a shooter targeted Israeli embassy personnel near the city’s Jewish museum, while another attack last month resulted in the death of one West Virginia National Guard officer and injury to another.
In response to these security challenges, President Trump declared a crime emergency in August, deploying National Guard troops and additional federal officers to the district. The administration has subsequently extended the Guard’s presence through at least February, with recent judicial approval allowing their continued deployment pending resolution of a separate legal challenge.
According to Metropolitan Police Department statistics, violent crime incidents through Monday showed a 28% reduction compared to the corresponding period in 2024, with homicides decreasing by approximately one-third. The department has declined to comment on the pending litigation, as has the DC attorney general’s office when contacted by news organizations.