DC settles $5.1M in lawsuit over gun rights violations.
The District of Columbia Settles $5.1 Million Lawsuit with Gun Owners
The District of Columbia has reached a groundbreaking settlement in a class action lawsuit brought by gun owners who claimed that their Second Amendment rights were violated by the district’s laws prohibiting the carrying of firearms in public.
A group of five nonresidents filed the federal class action lawsuit against the District of Columbia’s local government in 2015, alleging that D.C. police officers had infringed upon their gun rights. After more than eight years of legal battles, U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth has granted preliminary approval for a settlement agreement that will provide compensation to the plaintiffs.
The settlement includes a payment of approximately $50,000 to six named class representative plaintiffs, $2.2 million to cover the plaintiffs’ attorney expenses, and $2.6 million to notify and compensate other gun owners affected by D.C.’s gun laws.
Challenging D.C.’s Gun Laws
The original 2015 class action complaint argued that the D.C. gun laws at the time prohibited residents from carrying firearms outside their homes and completely barred nonresidents from registering their firearms within the district.
Maggie Smith, the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, was a nurse who legally carried her firearm in North Carolina. During a visit to D.C. in 2014, she was pulled over by a police officer. Following the guidelines she had learned in a gun ownership course, Smith informed the officer about her licensed pistol. However, she was arrested and faced prosecution for gun-related offenses for nearly a year.
Other plaintiffs faced similar arrests and charges, regardless of their residency status. Although some had their charges dropped, they still suffered negative consequences as a result of the arrests.
One plaintiff, who held a “Top Secret Security Clearance,” had his clearance reviewed even after the charges were dismissed. Another plaintiff lost their job due to the arrest, while yet another had their car seized and had to drop out of college because they couldn’t commute to class.
The D.C. government argued that the plaintiffs should have been aware of the district’s gun laws and therefore had a legal obligation to comply. However, Judge Lamberth, appointed by President Ronald Reagan, rejected this argument in a 2021 opinion, stating that the plaintiffs had no viable options for legally carrying a gun for self-defense in D.C.
The settlement marks a significant victory for gun owners and highlights the importance of protecting Second Amendment rights. It serves as a reminder that individuals should be able to exercise their constitutional rights without fear of unjust prosecution.
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