DC Continues Attempt To Circumvent High Court

Dave Kopel and Alan Levy have a very thought-provoking write up on the District of Columbia, and how officials there continue to thumb their nose at the U.S. Supreme Court, and the needs and wishes of its own residents.

Here's a sample:

"It's time for Congress to use the power granted to it in the Constitution to "exercise exclusive legislation" in the District and uphold its residents' constitutional rights. It can do so by passing the District of Columbia Personal Protection Act now pending in Congress, with a few adjustments. This bill, introduced on July 31 with 57 cosponsors, would prevent D.C. from passing regulations that discourage the private lawful use of firearms or otherwise suppress residents' Second Amendment rights. It is the result of a compromise between the National Rifle Association and House leaders. To ensure broad-based, bipartisan support, we propose four modest congressional actions that would preserve some home-rule authority while erecting a commonsense framework for restoring the right to self-defense in our nation's capital.

"First, Congress should change how D.C. processes gun registrations. Currently, residents must complete an application form, submit photographs, prove residency and good vision, pass a written test, pay a fee, be fingerprinted, and have the gun ballistics tested. The entire process can take months. Congress should mandate a more streamlined process for D.C. based on
the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which is already required by federal law for all retail firearm sales. Background checks are usually completed within a few hours.

"Second, D.C. still bans all "machine guns," improperly defined as any gun capable of firing 12 or more rounds without reloading -- even if the gun owner has a magazine with fewer rounds. As a result, only revolvers or single-shot handguns can be registered. But semiautomatic handguns constitute about three-quarters of handguns sold in the U.S. Banning them violates the Supreme Court's rule in District of Columbia v. Heller against "prohibition of an entire class of 'arms' that is overwhelmingly chosen by American society" for lawful self-defense."