DOJ, Illinois Face Off on Assault Weapons Ban at 7th Circuit (1)

A high-ranking Justice Department attorney on Monday urged Seventh Circuit judges to reject their 2023 finding that assault-style weapons are by definition not “arms” protected by the Second Amendment, saying the court’s legal test was flawed.

AR-15s are not “militaristic,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, Donald Trump’s appointed head of civil rights. The “militaristic” analysis “is not even the correct rule to apply.”

“It is not found in Supreme Court precedent,” she said. “It is not appropriate historically and it is not appropriate in the context of today.”

The Department of Justice filed an amicus brief opposing Illinois’ ban ...