Could Washington, D.C.’s, gun laws be overturned? If Florida Sen. Marco Rubio becomes president, it is possible.
But for now, Rubio will have to go through Congress to do so.
The likely 2016 Republican presidential hopeful introduced a bill Thursday to restore Second Amendment rights in the District of Columbia.
“This legislation will finally allow D.C.’s law-abiding residents and visitors access to firearms for sporting or lawful defense of themselves and their homes, businesses and families,” Rubio said in a statement about the Second Amendment Enforcement Act of 2015, which he co-authored with Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.
The bill would remove the D.C. Council’s authority to enact restrictive gun control measures, conform D.C. law to federal law governing firearm commerce, and enable D.C. residents to buy firearms from licensed dealers in Maryland and Virginia.
“Washington, D.C., has some of the harshest laws against gun owners in the nation,” Jordan said. “By rolling back unnecessary restrictions and protecting the rights of homeowners to protect themselves, this bill will make Washington, D.C., a safer place.”
A Pew Research Center survey in December found that for the first time in more than two decades, there is more support for gun rights than gun control. Fifty-two percent of those surveyed said it is more important to protect the rights of American gun owners, compared with 46 percent who said it is more important to control gun ownership.
