The Third Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling limiting whether the federal government can bar all felons from owning firearms.
In a Tuesday decision, the court ruled that only felons with convictions for violent crimes can be barred from having guns, according to Reuters.
A US appeals court concluded on Tuesday that a federal law barring felons from owning guns can only be constitutionally applied when a person's prior conviction involved violence or threats suggesting a risk of firearms misuse.
The full Philadelphia-based 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals in a pair of decisions ruled that in such cases, the primary federal law used to keep guns out of felons' hands does not violate the US Constitution's Second Amendment.
The court, which now has a conservative majority following recent appointments by Republican President Donald Trump, said the law could be used to disarm a man convicted in a carjacking case but not against another man whose conviction stemmed from a DUI conviction.
The decisions came in the latest in a series of court cases grappling with whether modern firearms restrictions remain valid after the Supreme Court handed down a landmark Second Amendment ruling in 2022 that expanded gun rights.
The 6-3 conservative majority's decision, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, held that modern gun restrictions must be "consistent with this nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation."
The law being challenged criminalizes gun owners who was previously convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison. The prohibition dates back to the 1960s, but has faced numerous challenges under the Supreme Court’s Bruen ruling.
With that ruling, the Supreme Court established that any gun control law is required to be consistent with the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation. It means that if a current gun law does not have a similar measure passed during the Founding era, it is considered unconstitutional.
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FPC WIN: In the FPC-supported case of Williams v. Blanche, the Third Circuit has ruled that the federal felon gun ban is unconstitutional as-applied to Mr. Williams, who "had two convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol in the early 2000s": https://t.co/jXmLwv3D8X https://t.co/RCbLMSW1mT
— Firearms Policy Coalition (@gunpolicy) October 13, 2026
The case involves James Bost, who pleaded guilty in Pennsylvania state court to making terroristic threats, criminal conspiracy, and related charges stemming from a 2002 carjacking. The other plaintiff was Edward Williams, who had two driving-under-the-influence convictions in the early 2000s.
The Court of Appeals held that the ban can only be constitutionally applied when a prior conviction involved violence or threats that indicate a person might be prone to committing crimes using firearms.
The court upheld Bost’s ban, but struck down Williams’, meaning that only those with nonviolent convictions still retain their Second Amendment rights after they are released.
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