Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general, led by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, in filing an amicus brief defending the federal law that prohibits people who have been convicted of felonies from possessing firearms.
In their brief, filed in U.S. v Prince, Nessel and other attorneys general ask the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit to overturn a lower court ruling that found the law unconstitutional.
“The federal felon-in-possession law is a commonsense solution that restricts firearm possession to law-abiding citizens,” Nessel said. “Nearly all states, including Michigan, have similar statutes on the books, which are critical to our efforts to protect public safety and prevent those who have demonstrated a disregard for the law from possessing weapons which could pose a threat to society. I stand firmly with my colleagues in asserting the constitutionality of the felon-in-possession law and its importance in protecting our families and communities.”
The coalition argues that the Second Amendment allows governments to enact sensible and varied regulations to protect the public. In addition to the federal law, nearly every state in the country has imposed limitations on the possession of firearms by those convicted of felonies, and many have maintained those laws for nearly a century. The attorneys general also explain that while the current federal restriction establishes a clear and administrable standard, any alternative approach would be burdensome and virtually impossible to administrate.
Nessel is joined in filing the brief by the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin.
In their brief, filed in U.S. v Prince, Nessel and other attorneys general ask the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit to overturn a lower court ruling that found the law unconstitutional.
“The federal felon-in-possession law is a commonsense solution that restricts firearm possession to law-abiding citizens,” Nessel said. “Nearly all states, including Michigan, have similar statutes on the books, which are critical to our efforts to protect public safety and prevent those who have demonstrated a disregard for the law from possessing weapons which could pose a threat to society. I stand firmly with my colleagues in asserting the constitutionality of the felon-in-possession law and its importance in protecting our families and communities.”
The coalition argues that the Second Amendment allows governments to enact sensible and varied regulations to protect the public. In addition to the federal law, nearly every state in the country has imposed limitations on the possession of firearms by those convicted of felonies, and many have maintained those laws for nearly a century. The attorneys general also explain that while the current federal restriction establishes a clear and administrable standard, any alternative approach would be burdensome and virtually impossible to administrate.
Nessel is joined in filing the brief by the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin.
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