For residents in Washington D.C., legally owning a firearm could become difficult instead of next to impossible.
On Tuesday, a federal judge struck down a gun law in D.C. as “probably unconstitutional,” according to The Washington Post.
“U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon found that the law violates the ‘core right of self-defense’ granted in the Second Amendment, setting aside arguments from District officials that the regulation is needed to prevent crime and protect the public,” Spencer S. Hsu and Ann E. Marimow wrote.
D.C. has restrictive laws that make it difficult for Washingtonians to obtain a concealed carry license.
“The Firearms Control Act requires applicants to explain their need for a Concealed Carry Pistol License by demonstrating either a good reason to fear injury to themselves or their property, or any other proper reason,” the District’s website states. “The fact that an applicant lives or works in a high crime area, in and of itself, is not a sufficient reason for the issuance of a Concealed Carry Pistol License.”
Legal ownership is legally permissible, but effectively prohibited.
D.C. had a “total ban” on handguns until 2008, when District of Columbia v. Heller struck down that law. This ruling, Grace v. District of Columbia, “means the city cannot deny concealed-carry permits to residents who do not show a good reason for needing a gun but otherwise would qualify for the permits,” Hsu and Marimow wrote.
When evaluating the District’s defense of its restrictions, Leon dismissed it as “hyperbole” that was “not only unwarranted but irresponsible.”
“The District’s understandable, but overly zealous, desire to restrict the right to carry in public a firearm for self-defense to the smallest possible number of law-abiding, responsible citizens is exactly the type of policy” that Heller struck down, Leon wrote.
For now, the District’s firearm policy is under a preliminary injunction. For residents who were denied a permit because they lacked a “good reason” in the District’s opinion, they can obtain one.
