WASHINGTON — The debate on carrying firearms in the District continues as the attorney general for D.C. filed a motion to encourage the court to strike down a lawsuit that could mean more guns in public places.
In July 2022, gun rights activists filed a lawsuit to sue the District in federal court, demanding the right to carry concealed handguns on Metro trains and buses. The lawsuit came right after the Supreme Court ruling that Americans have the right to carry guns in public for self-defense.
In the SCOTUS case of New York State Rifle & Pistol Assoc. v. Bruen, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for the 6-3 conservative majority that, “the government must demonstrate that [gun] regulation is consistent with this Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.”
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit argue that Metro is a sensitive location like an airport or airplane.
Though the lawsuit is in D.C. the outcome of the case could have a nationwide affect on how guns are regulated.
"Plaintiffs' case rests on the remarkable assertion that the Second Amendment affirmatively compels the District of Columbia to allow handguns on the same public-transit system that carries children to school and federal employees to work," Attorney General Karl Racine stated in a filed motion. "That claim is as sweeping as it is unprecedented."
The attorney general continued by stating that there was no sound reason for the court to break new ground as the first in history to declare the Second Amendment bars the regulation of guns on public transportation.
In a previous interview with WUSA9, Spot Tyler Yzaguirre, a resident who is now licensed to conceal carry handguns in D.C., said that having his handgun makes him feel safe and secure.
"We're just looking to further expand our Second Amendment rights," Yzaguirre said.
Due to lawsuits in the past by gun rights activists, D.C. can issue concealed carry permits to people who pass a background check and finish 16 hours of training. And now, they are demanding more with the right to carry on Metro trains and Metro buses in the city, which have been among dozens of sensitive areas like schools, bars and government offices where guns have been banned.
Yzaguirre said to WUSA9 previously that there is a lack of security and police presence in the Metro which warrants this change.
Racine states that Metro should be remain to acknowledged as a location where firearms should be prohibited. The motion expresses that the court should deny the plaintiffs' requests across the board and allow defendants to conduct the discovery and research needed for the case to properly be resolved of the issues.
