Guns, Felons, Religion, and Islam
From U.S. v. Thompson, decided Monday by Judge Karen Marston (E.D. Pa.):
On August 12, 2004, Thompson was sentenced to eight to twenty years’ imprisonment after being convicted in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County for Attempted Murder, Aggravated Assault, Carrying Firearms without a License, and Possession of an Instrument of Crime. He was paroled on August 15, 2011. While still on parole on December 20, 2022, Thompson allegedly possessed a Ruger, Security 9, 9mm semi-automatic pistol loaded with fifteen live rounds of ammunition….
He was prosecuted for being a felon in possession, and argued, among other things, that this violated his religious freedom “by substantially burdening his ability to adhere to the Quran’s requirement that he carry arms during prayer as a practicing Muslim”:
RFRA “guarantee[s] more generous protections for religious freedom than are available under the Supreme Court’s present interpretation of the First Amendment,” by “proscrib[ing] government conduct which ‘substantially burdens a person’s exercise of religion’ unless the government can demonstrate, inter alia, that the burden is the ‘least restrictive means of furthering a compelling government interest.'” …
Thompson identifies as a “devout Muslim” and “strict adherent” to the teachings of the Quran, “the central religious text in the practice of Islam [and] a revelation directly from Allah.” According to Thompson, the Quran “requires him to carry arms” during prayer. (See Doc. No. 26-1 (a passage from the Quran attached to Thompson’s motion, which purportedly states, “And when you are among them and lead them in
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