The National Rifle Association, along with the Second Amendment Foundation, Firearms Policy Coalition, and FPC Action Foundation, has filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review a federal lifetime ban on firearms possession by nonviolent felons. The brief was submitted on June 11.
The case in question is Vincent v. Bondi, initiated by Melynda Vincent. In 2008, Vincent was convicted of a felony for writing a fraudulent check amounting to $498.12 at a grocery store. Due to this conviction, she is permanently barred from possessing firearms under 18 U.S.C. Section 922(g)(1).
Since her conviction, Vincent has obtained two graduate degrees, founded a nonprofit organization, and works as an adjunct professor. She argues that the federal lifetime ban infringes upon her Second Amendment rights. However, the Tenth Circuit ruled that no individual can contest this federal law regardless of the nature or age of their felony conviction. Following this decision, Vincent petitioned the Supreme Court to consider her case.
In support of Vincent’s petition, the organizations’ brief presents a historical analysis suggesting that historically only dangerous individuals were disarmed in America. “Peaceable citizens — including nonviolent felons — were never disarmed throughout American history,” states the brief. It argues that Section 922(g)(1) does not align with America’s historical tradition of firearm regulation and thus should be deemed unconstitutional.
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