The U.S. Justice Department released the information below:
The Justice Department filed a lawsuit today
against California to halt the state’s newly enacted Glock Ban. The lawsuit
also seeks to prevent enforcement of the state’s “Handgun Roster” — a list
limiting legal firearms that individuals may purchase. The United States
challenges both as unlawful under the Second Amendment.
“The Second
Amendment is a sacred right belonging to all Americans, even those in
California. California cannot ban the most popular type of handgun in America,”
said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “We will work to stop this blatant
trampling of our rights by the California government to protect the rights of
lawful gun owners.”
“The Civil
Rights Division will defend law-abiding citizens from states that seek to
disarm them illegally,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of
the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This lawsuit is yet another
example of this Justice Department enforcing the Second Amendment by protecting
citizens against unconstitutional state regulation of firearms.”
California’s new
law would ban the retail purchase of common handguns manufactured by Glock and
guns with similar firing mechanisms. The state’s existing “Handgun Roster”
further limits the types of handguns citizens can lawfully purchase in
California. The United States Supreme Court recently reaffirmed that the Second
and Fourteenth Amendments protect the right to carry handguns outside the home
for self-defense in Wolford v. Lopez.
The Court reiterated that states cannot prevent citizens from using commonly
used firearms for self-defense.
The Civil Rights Division’s Second Amendment Section enforces the Second Amendment. If you believe your right to keep and bear arms is being infringed, please submit a complaint through www.justice.gov/crt/second-amendment-section.
