Federal Judge Issues Stay on D.C. Gun Ban Ruling

Washington Informer: A federal judge granted a 90-day stay Tuesday in a recent ruling that declared D.C.’s ban on citizens carrying handguns in public as unconstitutional, a delay welcomed by city officials and law enforcement who had scrambled to comply with the ruling.

D.C. Attorney General Irvin B. Nathan requested Monday to delay implementation to give the city council time to draft proper legislation to reflect the decision, which was issued Saturday by U.S. District Court Judge Frederick Scullin. Nathan’s request was granted Tuesday afternoon by Scullin.

Meanwhile, police had began allowing people to carry registered handguns in public. D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier has told her officers not to bother residents with legally registered handguns and tourists with handguns who are complying with their states gun laws. However, she mandated that possession of an unregistered firearm in public is a crime and that her officers should take appropriate action.

Handguns were prohibited in the District for more than three decades before the Supreme Court nixed the ban in 2008. The Council then implemented strict rules for ownership and possession of handguns.

City officials quickly admonished the federal ruling, including Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D), who said the city’s unique national security concerns calls for more restrictive gun laws than anywhere else in the nation.

“Four U.S. presidents have been assassinated by gunfire, at least five others have been shot at, including Ronald Reagan, who was seriously wounded in 1981,” Mendelson said. “Neither the Secret Service nor the Capitol Police will disclose all incidents where they have recovered firearms, but we do know that just two years ago someone hit the White House with gunfire, and there are frequent threats on the foreign diplomatic corps.”

Former Council member Carol Schwartz, who is running for mayor as an independent, said strong gun laws are valued in the city. “Less than 25 years ago, we were called the ‘murder capital’ with 478 homicides in 1990,” Schwartz said. “We have come a long way in rectifying that situation. While our population has grown considerably since then, our homicides were reduced to 88 in 2012.”

Schwartz said that the stay gives the Council a chance to “write legislation that will pass constitutional standards while protecting D.C.’s sovereignty and our long-held desire and need to have strong gun control laws that protect our citizens and visitors.”

D.C. Council member Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4), the Democratic nominee for mayor, said that she will work with her council colleagues to comply with Scullin’s decision and protect the city’s gun laws. “Public safety remains a top priority and I will continue to fight for laws that protect our residents, reduce violent crime and keep our city safe,” Bowser said.

DCG