WASHINGTON (AP) — People who carry concealed handguns near public events and demonstrations in the nation’s capital shouldn’t have to be personally warned by a police officer before they are subject to arrest, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said Thursday.

Lanier testified at a hearing on the D.C. Council’s proposal to allow residents and visitors to get concealed handgun permits for the first time in nearly 40 years. The bill was drafted in response to a judge’s ruling this summer that struck down the District of Columbia’s ban on carrying guns outside the home.

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