D.C. Finally Hops on the Heller Truck

Mike DeBonis, one of my colleagues at Washington City Paper, sends word that the D.C. Council has removed the machinge gun clause from the DC gun law, as well as lifted the restrictions requiring that hand guns be kept disassembled:

The mayor has just signed the emergency gun bill passed earlier today by the D.C. Council, reports mayoral spokesperson Mafara Hobson. That means semiautomatic handguns are now legal and you no longer have to have D.C. police perform a ballistics test before taking your gun home. And once it is home, you no longer have to keep it disassembled or keep a trigger lock on it until you feel a “reasonably perceived threat of immediate harm.”

UPDATE, 7:27 P.M.: The Fenty statement: “The Executive and D.C. Council have worked together to adopt common-sense, reasonable laws to prevent handguns from falling into the wrong hands or being misused. I have signed this new legislation passed by the Council today, and believe it fully complies with both the letter and spirit of the Heller decision. We trust that Congress will recognize that it is appropriate that the District legislate in this area of local law.”

DeBonis is skeptical that the relaxed restrictions will "placate Congress." I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Comments

juris imprudent | September 16, 2008, 10:33pm | #

I am astonished at how pliable "common sense, reasonable" laws can be. After all, the defense of the original law was that it was common sense and reasonable was it not?

bigbigslacker | September 16, 2008, 11:06pm | #

Nice headline. The alternative to hopping on was getting run over.

D.C. Gangbanger | September 16, 2008, 11:31pm | #

Oh shit!

stari stari decisis | September 16, 2008, 11:45pm | #

"DeBonis is skeptical that the relaxed restrictions will "placate Congress." I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Collectively rub their seemy underbellies and they'll purr like kittens.

DannyK | September 17, 2008, 12:16am | #

My fearless prediction: they'll find something else to object to and keep the legislation going. At this point, smacking down DC politicians is its own reward.

Bob Smith | September 17, 2008, 12:24am | #

My prediction: at a convenient time, after Congress has forgotten all about this, DC will reinstate the gun restrictions.

Alch | September 17, 2008, 12:26am | #

"The Executive and D.C. Council have worked together to adopt common-sense, reasonable laws to prevent handguns from falling into the wrong hands or being misused."

Wow I did not know that is all it takes. Just pass a law and it will be alright.

Naga Sadow | September 17, 2008, 12:35am | #

Well what the hell am I supposed to do with my derringer now?

Paul | September 17, 2008, 12:58am | #

“The Executive and D.C. Council have worked together to adopt common-sense, reasonable laws to prevent handguns from falling into the wrong hands or being misused.

I call bullshit. They called the old gun control law "common-sense, reasonable laws to prevent handguns from falling into the wrong hands".

Give these people an inch, they think they're a ruler.

The Wine Commonsewer | September 17, 2008, 1:29am | #

Give these people an inch, they think they're a ruler.


Nice. I say: Threadwinner

Gilbert Martin | September 17, 2008, 8:23am | #

"My prediction: at a convenient time, after Congress has forgotten all about this, DC will reinstate the gun restrictions."

That is exactly what this is about.

It is merely a tactic to derail Congress from enacting legislation that would permanently prevent DC from making gun control rules so that they can sneak back in later and try to reinstate them.

Episiarch | September 17, 2008, 8:44am | #

It is merely a tactic to derail Congress from enacting legislation that would permanently prevent DC from making gun control rules so that they can sneak back in later and try to reinstate them.

Exactly. Congress had better just steamroller over them and end this charade once and for all.

Dextor Johnson | September 17, 2008, 9:48am | #

LOL, its not like anyone went by those laws anyway. LOL, what good is a disassembled handgun? gimem a break. Laws are for straight people.

Cluster
www.anonymize.us.tc

mediageek | September 17, 2008, 11:59am | #

"My prediction: at a convenient time, after Congress has forgotten all about this, DC will reinstate the gun restrictions."

And we can only hope that when this happens, Heller, or someone else steps up and sues the shit out of them again.

Ryan Mulkerin | September 17, 2008, 12:05pm | #

OK, did the "machine gun clause" refer to sub-machine guns and assault rifles too or just the technically correct definition of a machine gun. Because I could support a ban on the latter meaning of machine guns because I don't see the ability to mow down a battalion as being necessary.

Paul | September 17, 2008, 12:54pm | #

Ryan: You should go back and read some history on this case. DC had a completely unique definition of machine gun, different than any other state or federal regulation.

All semi-automatic weapons of any type were defined as "machine guns" in DC.

any semi-automatic (i.e., self-loading, one shot at a time, incapable of automatic fire) rifle or shotgun that contains, or can accept, a magazine holding 12 rounds or more. See D.C. Code 7-2501.01(10)(B) ("any firearm which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily converted or restored to shoot ... [s]emiautomatically, more than 12 shots without manual reloading").