Posted on 03/29/2007 8:07:41 PM PDT by LdSentinal
Bill restores constitutional rights to Washington, D.C. residents
WASHINGTON, DC -- Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) introduced the District of Columbia Personal Protection Act of 2007, a bill to restore Second Amendment rights in Washington, D.C.
The constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens do not end when they cross into the borders of the District of Columbia, said Sen. Hutchison.
The gun ban has been proven ineffective by the trend of increased violent crime in the District. The citizens of Washington, D.C., deserve to have the same right to defend themselves and their families in their homes that lawful Americans enjoy.
This requires both a legislative and judicial remedy. I hope the Parker case goes before the Supreme Court and that the court asserts that the right to bear arms is an individual, and not a collective, right as the D.C. Circuit and Fifth Circuit Courts have affirmed.
The District of Columbia enacted the Firearms and Control Regulations Act in 1976 that banned handguns and required rifles and shotguns to be registered and stored unloaded and either locked or disassembled, giving it the most restrictive gun control laws in the nation. Prior to the gun bans implementation, the murder rate in the District was on the decline. Following the ban, the murder rate began to rise while violent crime was decreasing nationally. According to the FBIs Uniform Crime Reports, in 2005, the most recent year from which statistics are available, the District of Columbia led the nation in violent crime.
The problem is , or would be if this passed, that then the Supreme Court would not rule on the case, because it would be moot, OBE (overcome by events). They don't hear moot cases.
If they fail to uphold the Circuit Court for the District, then such a law would be needed and appropriate.
As badly as the Supremes seem to want to avoid ruling on the Second Amendment, they might take the very existance of these two compainion bills as a reason not to grant cert on Parker.
??? Yes there is. Below "Amendment II" you can see the word "right".
A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
When do you think it will get better? Certainly not while the 'Rats control the Senate. Maybe after HR. 1022 passes, the Super Assault Weapons Ban (it would ban way way more arms that the original version.
Senator Hutchinson voted *for* the Brady Bill, aka backdoor registration bill, but against the Assault Weapons Ban, which passed, and against it's attempted renewal. So her record on the RKBA is mixed.
She's one of my senators, and I've never thought of her as particularly strong on the RKBA.
I would much rather battle this out in the congress , than have an unpredictable SCOTUS make a final ruling on it .
We need to get at least one more good justice on there before sending it on for the the final decision .
Until then, let's battle it out , as we can win when we flex our political muscle .
I hope they go to the full DC circuit court first because it has been stacked by Reagan, Bush 43, and Bush 41. Carter has 1 and Clinton 3.
If DC goes to the full court and it affirms the decision by the 2/1 then SCOTUS may not take the case and let the decision stand. That would suit me just fine.
-PJ
Nice to see you are still kicking butt Basil.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.