Federal Law Authorizing Gun Transport Can’t Be Enforced in Civil Rights Lawsuit

The federal law that allows lawful gun owners to transport firearms interstate without risking criminal liability under local law along the way is not enforceable through a civil rights action, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit decided June 30. The right to transport guns provided by 18 U.S.C. §926A presents law enforcement officials with such complexity that Congress could not have intended to authorize a damages remedy for misapplications of the statute, the court explained. (Torraco v. Port Authority of New York and New Jersey)

The plaintiffs in these consolidated appeals sued police officers ...