Washington, D.C.’s efforts to enforce stricter gun laws could be at risk after the Trump administration filed a lawsuit against the local government. The Department of Justice sued the District, arguing that its laws unlawfully restrict residents’ ability to possess semiautomatic firearms.
Under D.C. law, residents are permitted to own firearms provided they register them with police. However, the District prohibits the registration of semiautomatic weapons, effectively barring residents from owning firearms such as AR-15–style rifles.
In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court on December 22, the DOJ argued that the District’s ban on registering semiautomatic firearms violates Second Amendment protections, which safeguard the right of Americans to bear arms for self-defense.
On December 22, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Washington, D.C. and its Metropolitan Police Department, arguing the city’s gun laws function as a de facto ban on AR-15–style rifles and other commonly owned semi-automatic firearms.
The DOJ says D.C.… pic.twitter.com/pCRDPze4T9
— NLDR (Noldor) Media (@NLDRMedia) December 23, 2025
The DOJ stated in the lawsuit, “The District denies law-abiding citizens the ability to register a wide variety of commonly used semi-automatic firearms, such as the Colt AR-15 series rifles, which is among the most popular firearms in America, and a variety of other semi-automatic rifles and pistols that are in common use.”
The department named the Metropolitan Police Department and Police Chief Pamela Smith as defendants.
The case comes as little surprise and is widely seen as another clash between Republicans and Democrats.
While Republicans control the federal government, Democrats hold a majority in Washington, D.C.’s local government. This is not the first time the Trump administration has taken action against the District.
Citing high crime rates, Trump deployed thousands of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., earlier this year. When the local government challenged the move in court, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals allowed the troops to remain deployed in the capital until at least February of next year.
Washington, DC: One of the bullet holes from the shooting of National Guard soldiers Andrew Wolfe, who miraculously survived and was just discharged from the hospital, and Sarah Beckstrom, who was tragically killed. The shooter was an Afghan national who was part of a ClA zero… pic.twitter.com/6gjCx1XFrV
— Chad Robichaux (@ChadRobo) December 17, 2025
Turning to the capital’s gun laws, D.C. requires training for individuals who wish to carry firearms in public. Open carry was also prohibited in the capital until August 2025, when U.S. attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro announced that people caught carrying rifles or shotguns would no longer face felony charges.
In addition to Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands are facing a similar lawsuit from the Justice Department. The DOJ said it is seeking to protect citizens’ rights by challenging local governments.
The department said, “The United States of America brings this lawsuit to protect the rights that have been guaranteed for 234 years and which the Supreme Court has explicitly reaffirmed several times over the last two decades.”
The Metropolitan Police Department has not yet commented on the matter. Despite rising gun violence nationwide, the Trump administration continues to champion gun ownership rights. According to a 2024 survey, 32% of U.S. residents, or about 107 million people, own a firearm.
