In a move that’s sending shockwaves through the gun rights world, the United States Department of Justice has thrown its weight behind the Firearms Policy Coalition’s (FPC) blockbuster challenge to Massachusetts’ draconian handgun ban. Filed in the First Circuit Court of Appeals, the federal amicus brief in Granata v. Campbell explicitly backs FPC’s argument that the Bay State’s assault on modern handguns—banning everything from popular models like the Sig Sauer P320 to Glock 19s under vague assault weapon pretenses—violates the Second Amendment as clarified by the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision. Joined by individual plaintiffs and The Gun Runner, LLC, with top-tier legal firepower from Cooper & Kirk and Chambers Law Office, this isn’t just another lawsuit; it’s a direct assault on one of the most restrictive state regimes post-Bruen, where Massachusetts AG Andrea Campbell has doubled down on ignoring SCOTUS’s mandate for text, history, and tradition.
What’s clever here is the feds’ timing and framing: by stepping in as amicus, the DOJ isn’t just cheering from the sidelines—it’s signaling to lower courts that even the executive branch sees Massachusetts’ scheme as unconstitutional overreach. This echoes the government’s own post-Bruen pivots in cases like Rahimi, where it urged fidelity to historical analogues rather than interest-balancing tests favored by gun controllers. For context, Massachusetts’ ban, enacted amid the 1994 AWB hysteria and supercharged by recent ghost gun panic, effectively outlaws 90% of the handgun market, forcing law-abiding citizens into compliance with arbitrary features tests that Bruen explicitly rejected. FPC’s suit masterfully leverages this, arguing no historical tradition supports banning common arms based on ergonomics or capacity—handguns are the quintessential self-defense tool, protected from Founding-era analogs to today.
The implications for the 2A community are massive: a win here could dismantle similar bans in blue states like New York, California, and Connecticut, paving the way for nationwide restoration of modern handgun rights. It’s a morale booster amid Supreme Court delays on certs, reminding us that strategic litigation plus federal alignment can crack open fortress states. Gun owners nationwide should watch this closely—victory means more choices at the counter; defeat risks emboldening copycat laws. Stay armed, informed, and engaged; the tide is turning.
