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Posted on 05/19/2005 1:19:15 PM PDT by neverdem
(FAIRFAX, VA) – Today, Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison introduced “The District of Columbia Personal Protection Act” in the U.S. Senate. The legislation aims to reverse the city’s 28-year handgun ban by restoring self-protection rights for law-abiding citizens. The legislation also repeals D.C.’s gun registration law. Last fall, the U.S. House of Representatives approved this measure on a bi-partisan vote of 250-171.
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison stated, “This is much needed legislation. Residents of our nation’s capital are at the mercy of criminals – even in their homes. I look forward to seeing the rights of law-abiding residents restored. For the good of these lawful folks, I urge my colleagues to support the D.C. Personal Protection Act this year.”
Current District of Columbia law bans all handguns that were not registered before 1977. The few remaining legal D.C. resident handgun owners are prohibited from carrying their handguns in their own homes. Legally registered and owned rifles and shotguns must be stored unloaded and disassembled or locked, rendering them useless for self-defense unless the gun is kept at a place of business.
“After living under years of failed gun control laws, the law-abiding citizens of Washington, D.C. deserve their Constitutional right to protect themselves. The National Rifle Association (NRA) commends Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison for her leadership on this issue, as well as the other co-sponsors of this important legislation,” Chris W. Cox, NRA chief lobbyist, stated.
Despite its prohibitive gun ban, the District of Columbia has repeatedly earned the title of “murder capital of America”. According the FBI statistics, from 1976 to 2001, the national crime rate fell 36%, as Washington D.C.’s crime rate soared 72%.
“There is a reason why D.C. has the highest crime rates in America – criminals know that law-abiding citizens are defenseless against them,” Cox added. “Finally, Congress has a chance to correct this wrong and allow D.C. residents to protect themselves and their loved ones. NRA asks all freedom-loving Americans to ask their Senators to vote for this bill. It is high-time residents in Washington, D.C. are given their Second Amendment rights back.”
--nra--
I think all that happened with the DC handgun ban repeal is that Frist simply used his power as majority leader to take it off the table - somehow. But in any event, it wasn't filibustered, because it never even made it that far. Frist's rationale at the time was that it was too close to an election and didn't want to do anything "controversial". Never mind that such a move would probably have increased support for the GOP nationwide. (probably not in DC, of course, but it's not like the GOP ever had much chance there anyway)
Does this bill include even *GASP* CCW on a shall-issue basis? If not, then it's pretty useless...
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
The bill goes to the Senate, where it has almost no chance of passage. A similar bill is bottled up in committee, and Majority Leader Bill Frist, R- Tenn., has indicated that with little more than a week before Congress recesses to campaign, only noncontroversial measures may come to the floor.Granted, this is from the SF Comical, so you can take it for what it's worth. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't imagining things.
Are you saying the bill would allow open carry? I didn't hear that anywhere either. Any type of carry is fine with me, but I just thought this was going to remove the ban on owning a gun in your own and owning a gun that is loaded and put together. As of today, I believe all handguns are illegal, and all long arms must be stored locked, unloaded, and in a disassembled state.
I'm sorry, I wasn't quoting from the bill. I just thought you were saying that conceal-carry itself was the necessary useful goal. I'm actually unaware of the details of the bill.
But I still think that keeping a loaded gun in your own home is far preferable to the alternative. The legislation looks like a good start to me. I'd love it to be more sweeping than it appears to be, and I think politically, Congress could get away with making it much more sweeping. I've long believed that the American people at large are more conservative than the politicians, and that the politicians love to take these annoyingly glacial half-steps in the right direction, but giant full steps in the wrong. Nonetheless, this bill (if it says what you've indicated) represents an improvement over the current situation. I wouldn't call it useless.
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