D.C. gun laws are reviewed by a congressional committee Tuesday
http://www.dcexaminer.com/articles/...ewsdc27guns.txt
D.C. gun laws are reviewed by a congressional committee Tuesday
By Josh Eiserike
Special to the Examiner
Published: Monday, June 27, 2005 12:16 AM EDT

The House Government Reform Committee will hold an oversight hearing on the District's gun control laws at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The hearing will consider current gun control laws, current policies to combat violent crimes and - most controversial - the possible effects of repealing current D.C. gun laws. The committee will also discuss constitutional issues relating to the gun laws. This hearing will be in room 2154 of the Rayburn House Office Building.

According to the House Committee on Government Reform, identical bills in both the House and Senate would curb the D.C. Council and mayor's authority to regulate the possession of firearms in the city. Congressman Mark Souder, R-Ind., introduced H.R. 1288 in the House, and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson, R-Texas, introduced S. 1082 in the Senate.

The possession of unregistered firearms has been illegal in the District since 1976. Registration of all handguns, automatic firearms and high-capacity semiautomatic firearms is also prohibited. Opponents of the restrictions say they are unconstitutional under the Second Amendment, but courts have upheld the District's gun control laws.

In 2004 there were 198 murders in the District, down 20 percent from 248 murders in 2003. According to a city press release, this is the lowest level in 18 years. Those who support the bills say that the homicide rate demonstrates the current law's ineffectiveness. Some supporters also say citizens should be allowed to use handguns for self-defense. Opponents argue the bills would flood the streets with guns and stop the decline of the murder rate.

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Government Reform to Review D.C.'s Handgun Ban
Do the Gun Laws Encourage or Prevent Crime?

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Government Reform to Review D.C.'s Handgun Ban  

 
Washington, Jun 24 - What: Government Reform Committee Oversight Hearing:
“Under Fire: Does the District of Columbia’s Gun Ban Help or Hurt the Fight Against Crime?”

When: TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 2005 at 2:30 P.M.

Where: ROOM 2154, RAYBURN HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING

Background:

In 1973, Congress passed the District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act (Home Rule Act), giving the District the right to elect a Mayor and a Council and authorizing the District to legislate and manage its affairs. The Home Rule Act gives the District Council broad authority, subject to the approval of Congress, to regulate firearms.

On June 26, 1976, the District of Columbia Council passed the Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975, a law prohibiting the possession of unregistered firearms, and banned the registration of all handguns, automatic firearms, and high-capacity semi-automatic firearms. The District's ban on handguns makes it illegal for anyone to own a handgun unless he or she is a police officer or has owned a gun registered prior to 1976. Sales of firearms are similarly restricted. Many observers view the District's gun laws among the strictest of any jurisdiction in the nation. Various lawsuits have been filed in recent years questioning the constitutionality of the D.C. gun law under the Second Amendment. So far, the Courts have upheld the ban.

During the 108th Congress, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill that would repeal the District’s gun laws. The Senate did not take up the measure. At the beginning of the 109th Congress, bills repealing the ban are currently before Congress. Congressman Mark Souder (R-IN) introduced H.R. 1288 in the House and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX) introduced S. 1082 in the Senate. The identical bills, known as the District of Columbia Personal Protection Act, would limit the authority of the D.C. Council and Mayor to regulate the possession of firearms in the city.

Supporters of the legislation say that the city’s high homicide rate demonstrates the ban’s ineffectiveness and that citizens should be allowed to defend themselves with handguns. Others argue that repealing the ban would flood the streets with guns and halt the continuing decline in the homicide rate. Murders in D.C. fell 20 percent from 248 in 2003 down to 198 in 2004, the lowest level in 18 years.

The Government Reform Committee will examine this debate by conducting an oversight hearing on the District of Columbia’s gun control laws. The Committee will explore the effect of repealing the District’s gun laws, examine the District of Columbia’s policy to combat violent crimes, and discuss the constitutional issues relating to the District of Columbia gun laws.

Witnesses:

Panel I

The Honorable Anthony Williams, Mayor, District of Columbia

Mr. Charles H. Ramsey, Chief of Police, Metropolitan Police Department

Panel II

Mr. John R. Lott, Resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institute

Mr. Robert A. Levy, Senior Fellow in Constitutional Studies, The Cato Institute

Mr. Robert Peck, President, Greater Washington Board of Trade

Reverend Lionel Edmonds, Co-Chair, Washington Interfaith Network

Ms. Sandra Seegers, District of Columbia Resident

Mr. Tyrone Parker, Executive Director, Alliance of Concerned Men

Ms. Francine Lowe, District of Columbia Resident


Print version of this document

Mr. Charles H. Ramsey, Chief of Police, Metropolitan Police Department

yeah I really wanna go hear this duchebag.....  Why would we go?  Not like we can be heard there?

Quoted: Mr. Charles H. Ramsey, Chief of Police, Metropolitan Police Department yeah I really wanna go hear this duchebag.....  Why would we go?  Not like we can be heard there?

Yeah, and ask him if they found his police car yet!

Is it just me, or are the genders among the D.C. "residents" the same, guess they couldn't find enough males who hated guns.

Uh Sandra Seegers is a black woman on OUR SIDE.

She used to be the DC Taxi Cab Commisoner and she wants the handgun ban gone.

The more pro gunners in the DC area that show up, the better chance this has to pass.

Wonder if southwest flies into dc for cheap... a good 2 day vacation...

I just spent three days in the area. Now I'm home. Oh well.

The more you force the antis to fight on their home turf (DC) the less they can worry about your state.

CRC

Just so y'all know - there are some of us here fighting the good fight.  I'll be there.

-dc2wheel

[DC native - born & raised]