Federal prosecutors under the Trump administration are suing Washington DC, claiming the city’s ban on registering many semiautomatic rifles and pistols conflicts with Supreme Court precedent on individual gun ownership. The outcome could reshape how far local governments may go when restricting common firearms that citizens use for lawful defense and sporting purposes.

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WASHINGTON, DC (3-minute read) — The Trump administration has taken Washington DC to federal court, arguing that the city’s rules on registering certain semiautomatic firearms go beyond what the Constitution allows. The lawsuit, filed in United States District Court, names the Metropolitan Police Department and outgoing Chief Pamela Smith and sets up a fresh test of how far cities can go when they regulate firearms that many Americans already own.

Justice Department lawyers say they are acting to defend rights that have existed since the founding era and that the Supreme Court has reaffirmed in recent decades. They rely heavily on the Heller decision, which came out of an earlier dispute with DC and recognized that private citizens have an individual right to keep and bear arms that are in common use, even if they are not part of an organized militia.

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Federal lawsuit targets DC semiautomatic firearm rules

According to the complaint, DC refuses to allow residents to register a wide range of semiautomatic rifles and pistols, including AR 15 style rifles that fire one round per trigger pull. Federal lawyers argue that these firearms are widely owned across the country for home defense, competition, hunting, and as part of some citizens’ concealed carry setups, and therefore fit squarely within what Heller described as arms in common use.

The government also criticizes the District’s approach as being driven by the look of a firearm or the accessories it can accept, rather than by how it operates. Because DC makes it impossible to register many of these firearms, the suit notes that residents risk criminal charges simply for possessing an unregistered firearm that would be legal in much of the rest of the country. The city’s police department has declined public comment, citing the ongoing litigation.

Unlike Heller, this case does not feature a named private citizen plaintiff from DC. Instead, the United States itself is bringing the challenge, relying on authority in a broad federal crime statute passed in the nineteen nineties. For gun owners and concealed carriers, the case is a reminder that federal, state, and local firearm rules can differ sharply and that court decisions in one city may influence how laws are written and enforced nationwide.

Safety Tip: Before you travel or relocate with a firearm, carefully review both local and federal laws, since a firearm that is perfectly legal in one jurisdiction can lead to serious charges in another if it is carried or stored contrary to local regulations.