Washington, D.C., September 23, 2022 – Gun-violence-prevention groups including Brady and Team ENOUGH today submitted an amicus brief today in support of the District of Columbia’s ban on firearms on the Metro transit system. The brief is in response to Gregory T. Angelo v. District of Columbia — another unsettling outgrowth of the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 23 “Bruen” decision that made it harder for governments to restrict the carrying of firearms in public.
The brief, signed by Brady, Team ENOUGH, Giffords, and March for Our Lives, explains that the Metro firearms ban is consistent with the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision and longstanding precedent because the Metro is a “sensitive place” unsuited to having guns in the hands of ordinary people.
The Metro’s physical characteristics – often-crowded spaces with limited exit points – would make it difficult for Metro users to escape gunfire quickly and safely. The Metro system also serves several uniquely vulnerable populations, including DC schoolchildren, who use Metro buses and trains as the District’s public school transportation system; federal employees, who are often the targets of disgruntled citizens; and tourists, who are frequent targets of terrorists around the world. The system also serves many constitutionally gun-free areas like schools, government buildings, and hospitals.
The brief reads in part:
“Plaintiffs’ theory, if adopted, would bring about disastrous consequences for the District of Columbia and for everyone who lives, works, or visits our nation’s capital. Gun violence is already a significant issue in DC and nationwide … A ruling that the District cannot prohibit the carrying of guns on Metro trains or buses would substantially increase the number of guns carried in public and undoubtedly increase the frequency of gun usage, injury, and death. This result is not constitutionally required and would undercut DC's use of a commonsense regulation to protect residents and visitors from gun violence.”
Adds Brady Counsel Shira Feldman:
“If DC were to lose this case, it would mark the first time, practically speaking, that the general public would be allowed to carry firearms on the Metro in the District. For the vast majority of people in DC and nationwide, that is not a scenario we want to see.
This lawsuit, filed by plaintiffs seeking to carry concealed weapons on the Metro, is clear evidence that Bruen will lead to more guns in more places, which in turn will lead to more tragic acts of gun crime, vigilantism, and preventable deaths. We will continue to fight for common-sense gun safety laws that seek to mitigate the negative impacts of the Bruen decision.”
Brady is represented pro bono in this case by the law firm of Hogan Lovells.
Brady has one powerful mission — to unite all Americans against gun violence. We work across Congress, the courts, and our communities with over 90 grassroots chapters, bringing together young and old, red and blue, and every shade of color to find common ground in common sense. In the spirit of our namesakes Jim and Sarah Brady, we have fought for over 45 years to take action, not sides, and we will not stop until this epidemic ends. It’s in our hands.
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