Many D.C. Council sessions are workmanlike, worthwhile meetings. Questions get asked and answered, agreements are reached, some light might be shed on a corner of the city or the workings of a government agency.
Then there are sessions that I see as show hearings. They are called by council members who have made their minds up on an issue, they call witnesses who will affirm that point of view, they then issue press releases that state the obvious and confirm their stance.
Take Tuesday night’s hearing about the current D.C. voting rights bill. The legislation is designed to give the District’s congressional representative a vote on the House floor. It is in jeopardy, because gun rights advocates added an amendment that would strip the District of its power to regulate handguns.
Therefore the question and the trade-off: Do we let Congress deregulate gun ownership in the capital city so we can finally get full voting rights? Or do we tell Congress to keep the vote and stay out of our business when it comes to regulating firearms?
Freshman Councilman Michael Brown called the hearing. He chairs the Special Committee on Statehood and Self-Determination. I fear he got the assignment because he had none, so Council Chairman Vince Gray created one. It’s akin to running a Special Committee on Foreign Affairs. Why? D.C. is more likely to have an army than become a state.
Scores of people came to the hearing. They testified for hours and stayed until midnight. They all agreed among themselves that Congress is bunch of knuckle-dragging bullies, that guns are really bad, and that it was more important to regulate guns rather than get the vote.
Brown’s press release blared: “Clear Message: Give us a clean bill with no guns attached, or keep your vote.”
One constitutional law scholar suggested the District rope off the federal enclave from the White House to Congress, declare a new federal territory where we residents live, then petition Congress to make that territory a state.
Fat chance. Read my lips: D.C. will never become a state. It should. Our population is greater than Vermont’s and Wyoming’s. I would like to have a congressman and two senators. Ain’t gonna happen.
Brown’s show hearing and most of the people testifying created their own reality, but the reality is that Congress controls the District’s fate, as the Constitution mandates. Neither I nor any D.C. resident likes that reality, but it’s a fact.
If we want full voting rights in the House, we will have to reach that goal incrementally. Going toe-to-toe against congressmen who believe the Second Amendment gives Americans the right to bear arms is a losing proposition. Most Americans agree with them — as does the Supreme Court.
Why not face the congressmen and senators who added the noxious gun amendment and negotiate one that gives us more power to regulate? That seemed to be Mayor Adrian Fenty’s position, until he blinked.
Instead of holding show hearings, show some movement toward democracy.
