SAN FRANCISCO (September 26, 2024) – On September 24, 2024, Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) and the National Rifle Association (NRA) filed a joint brief with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in United States v. Duarte. In Duarte, the defendant was charged with violating a federal law prohibiting firearm possession by people convicted of crime punishable by more than one year of imprisonment, regardless of the nature of that crime. The brief, authored by Joseph G.S. Greenlee and Erin M. Erhardt of NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action, can be viewed at FPCLegal.org.
“America’s historical tradition of firearm regulation allows for the disarmament of dangerous persons—disaffected persons posing a threat to the government and persons with a proven proclivity for violence,” argues the brief. “But there is no historical tradition of disarming peaceable citizens. Rather, peaceable citizens—including nonviolent felons and other unvirtuous persons—were expressly permitted and often required to keep and bear arms.”
“It is unconstitutional and immoral for the government to forever disarm people like Mr. Duarte, who committed a non-violent crime, served his time, and successfully reentered society. We will continue to fight to eliminate gun control laws like the one at issue in this case and restore the right to keep and bear arms for all peaceable people,” said FPC President Brandon Combs. “We thank our friends at the NRA and its counsel for their hard work and partnership on this important brief.”
As the NRA explains here, “The amicus brief provides an extensive historical analysis of firearm prohibitions from colonial America through the nineteenth century. It emphasizes that America’s historical tradition of firearm regulation allows for the disarmament of dangerous persons—disaffected persons posing a threat to the government and persons with a proven proclivity for violence. But there is no historical tradition of disarming peaceable citizens. Rather, historically, peaceable citizens—including nonviolent felons—were expressly permitted and often required to keep and bear arms.”
Please visit nraila.org for updates on NRA-ILA’s ongoing efforts to defend constitutional rights.
Firearms Policy Coalition (firearmspolicy.org), a 501(c)4 nonprofit membership organization, exists to create a world of maximal human liberty, defend constitutional rights, advance individual liberty, and restore freedom. We work to achieve our strategic objectives through litigation, research, scholarly publications, amicus briefing, legislative and regulatory action, grassroots activism, education, outreach, and other programs. Our FPC Law program (FPCLaw.org) is the nation’s preeminent legal action initiative focused on restoring the right to keep and bear arms throughout the United States. Individuals who want to support FPC’s work to eliminate unconstitutional laws can join the FPC Grassroots Army at JoinFPC.org or make a donation at firearmspolicy.org/donate. For more on FPC’s lawsuits and other pro-Second Amendment initiatives, visit FPCLegal.org and follow FPC on Instagram, X (Twitter), Facebook, and YouTube.
Read the full article here
