{"id":2603130,"date":"2026-05-15T11:19:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T15:19:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-targets-dc-firearm-suppressor-ban-in-amended-complaint\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T11:20:36","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T15:20:36","slug":"doj-targets-dc-firearm-suppressor-ban-in-amended-complaint","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-targets-dc-firearm-suppressor-ban-in-amended-complaint\/","title":{"rendered":"DOJ targets DC firearm suppressor ban in amended complaint"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdoj-targets-dc-firearm-suppressor-ban-in-amended-complaint%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2603130&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The U.S. Department of Justice, via an amended complaint filed by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, is challenging Washington, D.C.\u2019s laws that ban firearm suppressors. DOJ argues the District\u2019s categorical ban goes further than the federal National Firearms act and violates the Second amendment, noting suppressors are already regulated federally and are commonly used by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cnn-crime-wave-will-put-republicans-back-in-power-in-midterms\/\" title=\"CNN: Crime Wave Will Put Republicans Back In Power In Midterms\">law-abiding people<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The complaint also contends that dismissing suppressors as a public-safety threat is misleading, citing figures that millions of suppressors are registered and that ATF data shows suppressor-related prosecutions are relatively rare. It argues that blanket bans on \u201can arm in common use\u201d are constitutional \u201cpolicy choices\u201d that cannot be categorically barred under past firearm-regulation traditions, using the Supreme Court\u2019s *Bruen* two-step framework.<\/p>\n<p>This approach mirrors DOJ\u2019s earlier lawsuits against gun restrictions in other jurisdictions, including challenges to Denver\u2019s \u201cassault weapons\u201d ban and litigation involving bans on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cnn-is-shocked-to-learn-gun-owners-arent-just-old-white-men\/\" title=\"CNN Is Shocked To Learn Gun Owners Aren...t Just Old, White Men\">high-capacity ammunition magazines<\/a> in Washington, D.C.\u2019s region.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p>The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-justice\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"438\">Department of Justice<\/a> is putting the firearm suppressor ban in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/washington-dc\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"260\">Washington, D.C.<\/a>, in its crosshairs, arguing the local regulation violates the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/second-amendment\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1043\">Second Amendment<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In an <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.dcd.287930\/gov.uscourts.dcd.287930.28.0.pdf\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.dcd.287930\/gov.uscourts.dcd.287930.28.0.pdf\">amended complaint<\/a> filed Thursday, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/harmeet-dhillon\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"10095\">Harmeet Dhillon<\/a> said suppressors are already regulated under the National Firearms Act. Therefore, the district government is going beyond the 1934 federal law by categorically banning silencers.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4567524\/momentum-builds-bill-jack-smith-arctic-frost-subpoenas\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Momentum builds to pass bill after Jack Smith\u2019s secret Arctic Frost subpoenas<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4569336\/appeals-court-weighs-trump-crackdown-law-firms-clearance-revocations\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Appeals court weighs Trump crackdown on law firms and security clearance revocations<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4569500\/kash-patel-vip-snorkel-pearl-harbor-memorial\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Patel went on \u2018VIP snorkel\u2019 at Pearl Harbor memorial, emails show<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>\u201cCategorically banning an arm is different in kind and not merely in degree from regulating it,\u201d the complaint reads. \u201cThe District may enact a wide variety of firearm regulations, but the Second Amendment \u2018takes certain policy choices\u2019\u2014including a categorical ban of an arm in common use\u2014\u2019off the table.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Dhillon made the case that the ban doesn\u2019t hold up because suppressors are commonly used by people who follow the law. She also disputed the \u201cmyth\u201d that criminals often use suppressors.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAccording to the American Suppressor Association, as [of] April 2026, there are approximately six million registered suppressors in the United States,\u201d the complaint states. \u201cYet, according to acting former ATF Deputy Director Ronald B. Turk, they are rarely used in criminal shootings and should not be viewed as a threat to public safety. Indeed, in 2017, the ATF reported that it had recommended prosecutions in only 44 suppressor-related cases on average per year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4356551\/justice-department-sues-dc-government-ar-15-ban\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4356551\/justice-department-sues-dc-government-ar-15-ban\/\">original version<\/a> of this lawsuit targeted the district\u2019s AR-15 ban, which the DOJ contends is also unconstitutional because law-abiding people commonly use AR-15-style rifles. The department cited a recent comment from Supreme Court Justice <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/brett-kavanaugh\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"385\">Brett Kavanaugh<\/a> to highlight this point.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGiven that millions of Americans own AR\u201315s and that a significant majority of the States allow possession of those rifles, petitioners have a strong argument that AR\u201315s are in \u2018common use\u2019 by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-sheriffs-tell-newsom-they-wont-enforce-covid-curfew\/\" title=\"California Sheriffs Tell Newsom They Won&#039;t Enforce COVID Curfew\">law-abiding citizens<\/a> and therefore are protected by the Second Amendment,\u201d Kavanaugh said regarding a case about a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/maryland\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"49\">Maryland<\/a> law banning AR-15s.<\/p>\n<p>Separately, Supreme Court Justice <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/elena-kagan\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4303\">Elena Kagan<\/a> noted AR-15 style weapons are \u201cthe most popular rifle in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The DOJ\u2019s Civil Rights Division applied the <em>Bruen<\/em> framework, a two-step legal test to evaluate Second Amendment challenges, to the district\u2019s AR-15 and suppressor bans.<\/p>\n<p>The first step says that if the \u201cplain text\u201d of the Second Amendment covers an individual\u2019s conduct, then that conduct is \u201cpresumptively\u201d protected by the Constitution. The second step puts the burden on the government to justify the regulation in question by \u201cdemonstrating that it is consistent with the Nation\u2019s historical tradition of firearm regulation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The DOJ argues the district\u2019s \u201cban on a weapon in common use\u201d doesn\u2019t have precedent in U.S. history.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4555718\/doj-sues-denver-semi-automatic-rifle-ban-mayor-remains-defiant\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4555718\/doj-sues-denver-semi-automatic-rifle-ban-mayor-remains-defiant\/\">DOJ SUES DENVER OVER SEMIAUTOMATIC RIFLE BAN AS MAYOR REMAINS DEFIANT<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Earlier this month, the DOJ sued <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/denver\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"3409\">Denver<\/a> over its longtime ban on \u201cassault weapons.\u201d The federal government\u2019s argument was very similar to the amended complaint concerning the district\u2019s firearm laws.<\/p>\n<p>Regarding Denver, the DOJ followed up with a separate lawsuit against the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/colorado\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"767\">Colorado<\/a> capital\u2019s ban on <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >high-capacity ammunition magazines holding<\/a> more than 15 rounds.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The DOJ challenges Washington, D.C.\u2019s suppressor ban under the Second Amendment<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2159,"featured_media":2603131,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP20028705193329.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[50501,7076,9473],"class_list":["post-2603130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-dc-2","tag-doj","tag-firearms"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP20028705193329.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2603130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2159"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2603130"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2603130\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2603134,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2603130\/revisions\/2603134"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2603131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2603130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2603130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2603130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}