More On Proposed DC Gun Laws In Wake of Heller

Updated: Wednesday, July 16, 2008, 12:06 am -- On Thursday, the District of Columbia City Council unanimously approved emergency legislation to end the nation's strictest gun ban (of course they had to -- the Supreme Court ruled it was wholly unconstitutional). According to the Washington Post, the Washington DC Police will start registering guns Wednesday as a result of a new program being implemented in the wake of the Supreme Court's Heller decision.

"D.C. police will start the gun registration process at 7 a.m. tomorrow, when the department opens an office at police headquarters at 300 Indiana Ave. NW. It is the start of the 180-day amnesty period in which residents may register handguns they have had illegally, or guns from other states.

"An officer from the gun unit will meet the applicant at the door and take temporary possession of the gun to ensure safety at headquarters. Officers will tag the gun and conduct ballistics tests before returning the gun to the owner. Paperwork indicating that registration is in process will be provided. About 14 days later, after an FBI background check, the gun will be officially registered."

Take temporary possession to ensure safety . . . Hmmmmm. Hope people write down their serial numbers before they take their firearms in. Just to ensure they get their own guns back.

Mayor Fenty and members of the DC City Council say they are united and ready to fend off lawsuits. Of course they are. It isn't their money they will be pissing away to defend these still restrictive regs they hope will suffice in light of the crushing blow to the city's 32-year-old unconstitutional gun ban. The money belongs to taxpayers. But that won't stop a politician from posturing for the cameras.

Mayor Fenty, if it saves the life of just one child, why don't you regulate speed on automobiles in the District, too. The EPA is already toying with the idea. You can call it "the greening of the Capitol!" For the children . . . for their lungs.

Seriously, back to safety. Heller finally showed that people have the right to defend themselves in their home. The DC Council's proposed regulations are hindering the safe access to firearms by their owners for defensive purposes. Ever try to take a trigger lock off a firearm when your adrenaline is pumping? Or on camera? Ask It isn't pretty.

Simply put: A gun that cannot be gotten to, and used quickly, is of no use at all.

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What are they smoking in DC? Or is there something in the Potomac they are drinking that has Council members there
Some of the lunacy being proposed in Washington DC . Read it here, and here.

Among the more ridiculous parts of the legislation, being developed to cope with the landmark ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that the District of Columbia's gun ban was wholly unconstitutional:

• Allowing an exception for handgun ownership for self-defense use inside the home.
• If you want to keep a handgun in your home, the MPD will have to perform ballistic testing on it before it can be legally registered.
• There will be a limit to one handgun per person for the first 90 days after the legislation becomes law.
• Firearms in the home must be stored unloaded and disassembled, and secured with either a trigger lock, gun safe, or similar device. The new law will allow an exception for a firearm while it is being used against an intruder in the home.
• Residents who legally register handguns in the District will not be required to have licenses to carry them inside their own homes.

Ballistic testing on your personal sidearm if you want to keep it in your home? Are they nuts?

There are already rumblings of additional lawsuits against DC if some of this stuff goes through. Additionally, there has been the suggestion that the new proposal violates the Americans With Disabilities Act and the District of Columbia's Human Rights Act.

Hmmm . . .