In a move that’s music to the ears of every red-blooded Second Amendment defender, the Trump-era Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division has dropped a bombshell amicus brief in the ongoing Massachusetts handgun roster case. This isn’t some milquetoast filing—it’s a full-throated federal smackdown of the Bay State’s draconian approved firearms roster, which acts like a government bouncer at the door of your local gun shop, arbitrarily blacklisting modern handguns based on subjective safety criteria that conveniently evolve to exclude features like threaded barrels or high-capacity magazines. The DOJ argues straight-up that this roster scheme violates the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision, which demands gun laws align with our nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation—not some bureaucratic wishlist. For context, Massachusetts’ roster has shrunk the available handguns to a pathetic handful (think outdated relics while states like Texas offer hundreds), forcing law-abiding citizens into a rigged market or the black market shadows.
What’s clever here isn’t just the legal firepower; it’s the Trump DOJ’s strategic timing and framing, submitted under the Biden administration’s watch but leveraging the enduring authority of a pro-2A precedent-setter. They’re not mincing words: the brief eviscerates the roster as a non-historical, interest-balancing prohibition that flouts Bruen’s mandate, citing historical analogs like 19th-century surety laws that targeted the disorderly, not blanket bans on safe, modern self-defense tools. This echoes victories in Maryland and Connecticut, where similar rosters crumbled post-Bruen, signaling to the 2A community that the dominoes are falling. Implications? Massive. A win here could torch rosters in California, New York, and beyond, unleashing a flood of innovative pistols—striker-fired compacts, optics-ready wonders, suppressor-ready beasts—back into civilian hands, turbocharging the industry and restoring choice to millions.
For gun owners, this is a rallying cry: the feds are finally wielding the Second Amendment like the shield it’s meant to be, not a permission slip. Keep an eye on Rahilly v. Bonauto—the Massachusetts AG’s roster defense is on life support. If Trump returns, expect this momentum to accelerate; if not, it’s a blueprint for plaintiffs to bury these schemes in court. Stock up on popcorn and range time—the roster racket is roasting.
