Gun rights after drug convictions
Barge v. United States
In brief
- Where it stands
- Dismissed
Petition denied.
- What it’s about
- Richard Barge argued that the federal law barring firearm possession by people convicted of crimes punishable by more than a year in prison violates the Second Amendment as applied to him because of a decade-old, nonviolent drug-distribution conviction.
- Who it affects
- The order gives Barge no Supreme Court ruling on his claim that the firearm ban violates the Second Amendment as applied to him.
Summary: written with AI from the case record.
What it's about
The Supreme Court refused to hear his case (denied review) and did not decide that constitutional question.
Federal law bars firearm possession by people convicted of crimes punishable by more than one year in prison.
Question presented
Whether 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), the federal statute that prohibits anyone who has been convicted of “a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year” from possessing a firearm, violates the Second Amendment as applied to Petitioner, based solely on a decade old nonviolent drug distribution conviction.
Documents
Docket activity
New analysis added
AI analysis generated: Case Briefing
AI analysis generated: Decision Record
Case data updated: summary, question_presented, generation_metadata
Case data updated: question_presented, extraction_metadata
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Brief added: Petition
Sources
Primary materials plus reporting. Best-effort analysis: this explainer relies on a mix of primary materials and trusted secondary sources. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.