June 2023

Non-violent felony

US Court of Appeals finds Denial of Gun Rights for Non-Violent Felons Unconstitutional

June 6, 2023 marks another major win for supporters of the Second Amendment as the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit found that the U.S. government cannot constitutionally ban those convicted of non-violent felonies from possessing guns. The case, Range v. Attorney General United States of America; Regina Lombardo, comes as one of many recent decisions upholding the importance of the Second Amendment and the constitutional right to keep and bear arms. The court found in an 11-4 decision relying heavily on New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, which reframed how courts are required to analyze gun rights. You can learn more about the Bruen case here, but for now, the important thing to note is that the government is required to justify any restrictions on firearms rights under a historical analysis, looking to traditional laws and restrictions, particularly towards the founding of the nation. The Third District Court of Appeals determined that the United States improperly and unconstitutionally deprived the Plaintiff, Range, of his Second Amendment rights due to a prior non-violent conviction.

Facts of the Case

In 1995, Bryan Range plead guilty to welfare fraud in Pennsylvania, which is a misdemeanor in that state which can result in a sentence of over one year imprisonment. Under 18 U.S.C 922(g)(1), a person is disqualified from owning or possessing a firearm if they have ever been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. It is not relevant whether the person actually served any time in prison; only the maximum possible punishment is considered. Because of his 1995 conviction, Mr. Range was denied multiple firearms purchases, despite the non-violent nature of his offense.

The Court’s Holding

The Third District Court of Appeals has found that the United States unconstitutionally deprived Mr. Range of his Second Amendment Rights based on a violation of Pennsylvania’s welfare fraud law. The Court explains that its decision is a narrow one. However, its finding and reasoning can be applied to any person convicted of a non-violent crime. The court found that: “Range remains one of ‘the people’ protected by the Second Amendment, and his eligibility to lawfully purchase a rifle and a shotgun is protected by his right to keep and bear arms. Because the Government has not shown that our Republic has a longstanding history and tradition of depriving people like Range of their firearms, § 922(g)(1) cannot constitutionally strip him of his Second Amendment rights.” In their analysis, the Court found that no historical justification exists for depriving all people convicted of felonies or other crimes punishable by over 1 year imprisonment of their firearms rights. The majority in this case determined that no arguments from the Government established a tradition in the United States of disarming all convicted felons. The opinion especially suggests that non-violent criminals are protected under the Second Amendment, as even the earliest of the Government’s analogies to restrictions on firearm possession by criminals only applied to those convicted of violent crimes.

Effects of this Decision

It is important to note that the decision in this case is not binding throughout the entire United States. This finding by the United States Third District Court of Appeals is in direct conflict with decisions in other districts. Therefore, it is only binding within the Third District, for now at least. You can find a map of the District Courts of Appeal here. While many of you reading this article will not be impacted by this decision directly, this case does present the opportunity for the law to change throughout the country. Attorneys in other districts will certainly cite to this decision and make the same arguments, and under the new Bruen standard, they may succeed where previous plaintiffs failed. This issue may eventually reach the Supreme Court, where their ruling would impact the law throughout the nation. We will be sure to stay on top of this issue, so check in regularly to make sure you’re always up to date on the law and your constitutional rights.

More results...

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Search in posts
video_post
Filter by Categories
2nd Amendment Rights
4th Amendment
Ammunition
Animals
ATF
Background Check
Backyard Range
Boating
Bump Stock
camping
Car carry
Carry Laws
Carrying at work
Castle Doctrine
Children
Church Carry
church security
church temple mosque security
Client Stories
Concealed Carry License
Constitutional Carry
CWFL
Defending Others
Defense of Property
Domestic Violence
Education
Emergency
Firearm Firm News
Firearm Storage
Firm News
First Aid
Fishing
Florida Carry Laws FAQ
Ghost Guns
Gift
Good Samaritan
Gun Laws
Gun Ownership FAQ
hunting
Immunity
Inheriting A FIrearm
Latest News
Legislative Update
Mailing
Mailing firearms
mailing guns
Medical Marijuana
Minor
Modifications
mosque security
Moving
National Parks
NFA / NFA ITEMS
Other Weapons
Ownership
Permitless Carry
police encounters
Popular
Possession of firearms
Purchase Law
Reciprocity
Red Flag Laws
Restoring Rights
Road Rage
School Zones
Self Defense
Self Defense FAQ
Selling Firearms
Seminars
Shipping
Shipping-Transporting
Stand Your Ground
State Parks
Stolen Firearm
storage
synagogue security
temple security
Transporting
Travel
U.S. LawShield
Uncategorized
Use of Force
Vehicle Carry
Visiting Florida
Webinar Videos

Sign up for our Newsletter

"*" indicates required fields

terms and conditions*
  • U.S. LawShield
  • NRA Badge
  • FSSA Badge
  • American Council of Second Amendment Lawyers
  • Florida Carry
  • Super Lawyers Since 2013
  • Florida Gun Law: Armed and Educated 4th Edition
  • NRA Range Safety Officer
  • NRA Instructor
  • JPFO
  • U.S. Business News Legal Elite Words
  • Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Since 2017
  • Firearm Policy Coalition
  • Second Amendment Foundation
  • Force Science Certificate
  • Force Science Certificate

Get in touch

Bullet

"*" indicates required fields

Copyright © 2024 The Firearm Firm All rights reserved.