About The Project
DC Appleseed is leading a broad coalition of local non profit, business and legal organizations that have filed an amicus brief in the gun case now before the Supreme Court.
District of Columbia v. Heller involves the constitutionality of a law passed by the D.C. Council that bans handguns in the District. DC Appleseed prepared the brief with the assistance of the law firm Fulbright & Jaworski LLP.
In the brief, DC Appleseed argues that (1) local legislatures -- not the federal courts -- are the appropriate bodies to balance the desire or right of citizens to possess weapons for self defense, against the obligation of each local government to take reasonable steps to protect the public's safety; and (2) so long as local legislation strikes this balance in a reasonable way, federal courts should not second guess the legislatures' decisions. DC Appleseed is joined on the brief by the DC League of Women Voters, DC for Democracy, the D.C. Chamber of Commerce, the Washington Council of Lawyers and the Federal City Council.
