Local
Council tweaks gun law, gives tentative approval
By: Michael Neibauer
Examiner Staff Writer
December 3, 2008
The D.C. Council on Tuesday tentatively approved the permanent framework for registering and storing handguns in the District, requiring several hours of gun safety training prior to registration, an annual recertification of every firearm and occasional criminal background checks for gun owners.
The legislation, adopted unanimously on first reading, also restricts access to guns for convicted felons, drunken drivers and domestic abusers. It allows registration of a one gun per month and requires ballistic identification of every firearm.
The bill is “pretty strict” but “not so burdensome,” said at-large Councilman Phil Mendelson, and it addresses the demands of the U.S. Supreme Court, which struck down the District’s 30-year-old handgun ban in June.
“What I hope is we are coming up with a bill that other cities will emulate,” said Mendelson, chairman of the public safety and judiciary committee. “I don’t think that we can go much further without getting into trouble.”
The measure, which the council will take up for a second and final time on Dec. 16, allows D.C. residents to keep a loaded and unlocked handgun in their homes or businesses for self-defense, provided it is safely stored out of the reach of children.
It permits registration, through the Metropolitan Police Department, of one gun every 30 days and requires reregistration of the weapon every three years. The measure also requires annual recertification — a letter to the MPD affirming that the gun remains in its owner’s possession. And it mandates that gun owners undergo criminal background checks be repeated every six years.
“A gun is a dangerous [instrument],” said Ward 3 Councilwoman Mary Cheh. “It’s not like possessing a car.”
The bill also requires that gun owners spend at least one hour at the firing range and four hours in the classroom with a certified gun safety instructor prior to registration.
“Weapons are tools and you need to know how to use them if we’re going to have them in people’s hands,” said Ward 5 Councilman Harry Thomas Jr.
A spokesman for the National Rifle Association could not be reached for comment Tuesday. The NRA in September took D.C. to task for passing “unduly burdensome” requirements in the wake of the Supreme Court decision that serve “as a vehicle for even more onerous restrictions.” The bill approved Tuesday is less restrictive than earlier versions.
The District has allowed handgun and rifle registration since shortly after the Supreme Court’s June 26 decision. As of Friday, according to the MPD, 192 handguns had been registered and 11 handgun applications had been denied.
The legislation, adopted unanimously on first reading, also restricts access to guns for convicted felons, drunken drivers and domestic abusers. It allows registration of a one gun per month and requires ballistic identification of every firearm.
The bill is “pretty strict” but “not so burdensome,” said at-large Councilman Phil Mendelson, and it addresses the demands of the U.S. Supreme Court, which struck down the District’s 30-year-old handgun ban in June.
“What I hope is we are coming up with a bill that other cities will emulate,” said Mendelson, chairman of the public safety and judiciary committee. “I don’t think that we can go much further without getting into trouble.”
The measure, which the council will take up for a second and final time on Dec. 16, allows D.C. residents to keep a loaded and unlocked handgun in their homes or businesses for self-defense, provided it is safely stored out of the reach of children.
It permits registration, through the Metropolitan Police Department, of one gun every 30 days and requires reregistration of the weapon every three years. The measure also requires annual recertification — a letter to the MPD affirming that the gun remains in its owner’s possession. And it mandates that gun owners undergo criminal background checks be repeated every six years.
“A gun is a dangerous [instrument],” said Ward 3 Councilwoman Mary Cheh. “It’s not like possessing a car.”
The bill also requires that gun owners spend at least one hour at the firing range and four hours in the classroom with a certified gun safety instructor prior to registration.
“Weapons are tools and you need to know how to use them if we’re going to have them in people’s hands,” said Ward 5 Councilman Harry Thomas Jr.
A spokesman for the National Rifle Association could not be reached for comment Tuesday. The NRA in September took D.C. to task for passing “unduly burdensome” requirements in the wake of the Supreme Court decision that serve “as a vehicle for even more onerous restrictions.” The bill approved Tuesday is less restrictive than earlier versions.
The District has allowed handgun and rifle registration since shortly after the Supreme Court’s June 26 decision. As of Friday, according to the MPD, 192 handguns had been registered and 11 handgun applications had been denied.
