As was to be expected, the District of Columbia has passed a new set of gun laws which basically ignore the vast majority of the Heller decision, while throwing a minor bone to the courts. Chris Cox, NRA-ILA’s Chief Lobbyist calls it “a joke.” The trigger lock provisions, which the Supreme Court explicitly threw out, are the most offensive.
But there is a bill in Congress to resolve this issue. Eleanor Norton doesn’t think too highly of it:
However, Norton, who does not comment on District bills out of respect for Home Rule to set an example for other members of Congress, sharply criticized a pending congressional D.C. gun bill, H.R. 1399, Congressman Mark E. Souder (R-RI) introduced last week.
Souder’s bill is, “proof that some members either don’t have enough to do or know no bounds to their capacity for disrespect for democracy in the nation’s capital,” Norton said. She continued, “Republicans tried to overturn the city’s gun bans on four different occasions and failed, even when they were in the majority. It’s not surprising that Congressman Souder, who was a frequent sponsor of anti-Home Rule bills, would continue to try to overturn the city’s gun laws.
Well, for one, Mark Souder represents Indiana, not Rhode Island. Norton and her staff are so incompetent, they don’t even know the states her colleagues are from apparently. Secondly, Congress has plenary authority over the District of Colombia. It’s in the constitution, you can look it up. There is no appeal to Home Rule for DC. The DC City Council serves at the pleasure of Congress. End of story.
For those who have time, here’s the resolution introduced in Congress which would set and then preempt the firearms laws for D.C. It essentially imposes federal gun laws, and not much more. No registraton, no bans of semi-automatic firearms, no lawsuit provisions, and no trigger lock provisions, and no ammunition restrictions, other than those imposed by existing federal laws. The only differences is that firearms covered by the NFA will still be prohibited in The Distrct, and it does not address the issue of carrying firearms outside the home. This is a good start, however, and we can fix the carry issue later. If D.C. City Council shows itself to be petulant on this important constitutional matter, I think it’s entirely appropriate for Congress to exercise its authority over The District, and preempt them from regulating firearms. Be sure to contact your Congress Critter, and tell them to vote for this important piece of legislation.