Glen Prince challenged the federal statute that prohibits convicted felons from possessing firearms after being charged for accosting public transit passengers with a loaded semi-automatic weapon while demanding their valuables. Prince has prior convictions for armed robbery and aggravated battery, and was arrested at a transit station that posted signs prohibiting firearms.
Circuit Judge Frank Easterbrook noted that while the Supreme Court's recent Second Amendment decisions have created uncertainty, they don't support invalidating the entire felon firearm ban. 'Given the current state of the law, represented by Rahimi, it is difficult to conclude that §922(g)(1) cannot be applied to anyone, even a person with a string of convictions suggesting grave danger,' Easterbrook wrote, citing cases involving multiple murder convictions and violent escapes.
District Judge Robert Gettleman had dismissed Prince's indictment in 2023, ruling that 18 U.S.C. §922(g)(1) was invalid 'on its face' under the Second Amendment. The government appealed to the Seventh Circuit, which heard oral arguments in December 2024.
The decision aligns the Seventh Circuit with every other appeals court that has addressed the question since the Supreme Court's 2022 Bruen decision, all of which have rejected facial challenges to the felon firearm ban. The court reserved judgment on as-applied challenges by defendants whose felony convictions don't suggest dangerousness, noting the issue remains open in the circuit.