A move to repeal virtually all the District's gun restrictions has received a boost in the Senate, where gun rights supporters led by Idaho Republican Sen. Larry E. Craig are seeking to get the measure passed as an amendment to the city's 2005 budget.

If the effort were to succeed, it would markedly increase the chances of the repeal passing Congress this fall. A similar measure in the House has more than enough co-sponsors to pass that chamber and has been promised a floor vote this fall by GOP House leaders.



Sen. Larry E. Craig during a hearing in 2000. He and pro-gun lobbyists are canvassing Appropriations Committee members, a spokesman said. (The Washington Post)  

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• D.C. Gun Laws: The Washington Post's Spencer Hsu reports on the D.C. gun restrictions and how an amendment to the city's budget in 2005 could repeal those limits




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But Craig's strategy also could complicate the Senate's efforts to finish its business and adjourn for the fall election campaign.

"Clearly, our Constitution guarantees the right to keep and bear arms, and the evidence demonstrates that where law-abiding citizens have the right to keep arms, crime goes down," said Dan Whiting, a spokesman for Craig, who is on the board of directors of the National Rifle Association. "The fact that D.C. has sky-high crime rates is a testament that something needs to be done."

Craig and pro-gun lobbyists are canvassing members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which is scheduled to consider the $8.2 billion D.C. budget Tuesday. "If we don't have the votes, we won't do it," Whiting said. "That's what we're looking at now."

Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) assailed the Republican-led push to undo the District's gun laws, which date to the early years of home rule in the city in the 1970s, saying that such a move would lead to more violence and bloodshed in the city.

Williams used his weekly news conference Wednesday to issue a rare challenge to lawmakers, reading the names of 14 District children who have been shot to death this year and asking whether Congress remembered them.

"It's really an insult to the memory of people in this city who have died by gun violence," Williams said, calling himself "incensed."

"This is not the time . . . to be arming these kids, arming these gangs and arming crazy people with assault weapons," he said.

The mayor said that Republican gun rights advocates are "using our District as a pawn. It's an incredible assault on home rule." He said the changes would increase the availability of weapons to criminals and undermine his police and public safety initiatives.

Whiting responded to the remarks with mock surprise. "Funny, those guns are illegal. It's amazing that criminals break the law," he said.

Craig is one of 34 co-sponsors of a Senate bill dubbed the "D.C. Personal Protection Act," which is authored by Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah). The companion House measure is sponsored by Rep. Mark Edward Souder (R-Ind.).

Both bills would end the District's long-standing bans on handguns and semiautomatic weapons, roll back registration requirements for ammunition and other firearms and decriminalize possession of unregistered firearms or carrying a handgun in one's home or workplace. Both measures also would bar the city's elected mayor and council from passing gun limits that go beyond federal law or "discourage . . . the private ownership or use of firearms."

Analysts on both sides of the gun debate said the House vote would help the GOP majority by mobilizing its gun rights base and by creating an uncomfortable decision for rural Democrats and moderate Republican members. Passage of Hatch's bill in the Senate was deemed unlikely, however, because the legislation is bottled up in an unfriendly committee and because a majority of senators in March supported two key gun control measures.

But attaching a repeal of D.C. gun laws to a budget bill -- one of only a few bills that Congress must pass to keep the government operating before members hit the campaign trail this fall -- would allow the repeal's supporters to overcome such obstacles. Floor debate on an individual item in the District budget is unlikely, especially if the time-pressed Senate rolls the D.C. spending bill into a giant, catch-all federal spending measure.

On the other hand, if such an amendment does provoke a fight over gun limits, such as renewing a federal ban on some types of semiautomatic weapon that expired Monday, Senate business could grind to a halt.

A spokeswoman for Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) said, "Senator Craig has not discussed the issue with Chairman Stevens, and the chairman has not indicated whether or not he will support the amendment."

Democratic committee aides called the Craig effort a long shot, noting that members sympathetic to gun rights, such as Sen. Robert C. Byrd (W.Va.) and Sen. Mary L. Landrieu (La.), ranking Democrat on the D.C. subcommittee, would probably defer to the District's right to home rule.

Republican Sen. Mike DeWine (Ohio), chairman of the Appropriations subcommittee on the District, announced his opposition to "a bad idea" and predicted that it would lack the votes to succeed. "We ought to let the District of Columbia make that decision, not impose our will," said DeWine, whose home state includes several big cities combating gun violence. "There ought to be some deference to elected officials on issues of public safety."

Make that man run for President.

Good for him!

About time for a someone to pickup the ball and play with it. Ahnold was right, the politicians are a lot of "girlie men." (Actually, he was referring to the Dems, but it could refer to quite a few Republicans also).

Yep force the antis to go on the defensive

CRC

Quoted: Yep force the antis to go on the defensive CRC

About time, the "best defense is a good offense." Keep'em off balance.

They'll have to spend money fighting this cause it has enough votes to pass the house.

And this will keep them from pushing a new gun ban elsewhere.

CRC

Republican Sen. Mike DeWine (Ohio), chairman of the Appropriations subcommittee on the District, announced his opposition to "a bad idea" and predicted that it would lack the votes to succeed. "We ought to let the District of Columbia make that decision, not impose our will," said DeWine, whose home state includes several big cities combating gun violence. "There ought to be some deference to elected officials on issues of public safety."

DeSwine at it again.  Fucker.

This could be big for those of us not living in DC as well, as the language of the bill contains a recognition that the 2nd amendment guarantees an individual right.

Does anybody know what the status of the Cato institute's DC suit?

Quoted: Republican Sen. Mike DeWine (Ohio), chairman of the Appropriations subcommittee on the District, announced his opposition to "a bad idea" and predicted that it would lack the votes to succeed. "We ought to let the District of Columbia make that decision, not impose our will," said DeWine, whose home state includes several big cities combating gun violence. "There ought to be some deference to elected officials on issues of public safety."

I put forth on this website the opinion that we needed to do what we could to go against the anti-gun Republicans. I was blasted by quite a few saying that "we" could lose the Senate...Well, I'll state my opinion again, we don't have the Senate when we have an asshole like Dewine in there. We need to get rid of him, and Voinovich as well!

who in the hell ever said that racist knob byrd was pro-gun?last i checked he was rated an f by the nra,but an A+ by the neonazis and national alliance.his hatred of the second amendment is only exceded by his hatred for people of color

Quoted: Does anybody know what the status of the Cato institute's DC suit?

In process...

This law was the product of NRA opposition to the suit, out of fear that it could lead to an anti-2nd decision....

If it passes, the suit will obviously be dismissed....

Quoted: Quoted: Does anybody know what the status of the Cato institute's DC suit? In process... This law was the product of NRA opposition to the suit, out of fear that it could lead to an anti-2nd decision.... If it passes, the suit will obviously be dismissed....

Yup, I was aware of that.  I'm not sure if it was a fear that the Cato suite could lead to an anti-2nd decision, or that it was a fear that the NRA could be upstaged by Cato.  Since the NRA brought their own DC suit and then tried to attach it to Cato's suit.  IIRC, Cato's suit has/had a "fair" judge while the judge in the NRA suit was considered to be "less fair" to the cause.

Ok I have a question?

Is this a federal bill or just a state budget bill?

If its a fed bill could AW ban renewal also be added to this bill as an admendment?

FREE

Hell yeah, keep 'em thinking about this and they won't have time to screw with us for awhile.

Quoted: Yep force the antis to go on the defensive.

I agree.

"Home rule" for DC is such a joke.  The people that run DC are too stupid to tie their own shoes.  Crime is rampant, the public schools are a joke even though they spend a fortune on them and their "leaders" are utterly corrupt.

Someone in Clowngress just needs to stand up to these losers and say "You've had 30 years to make this work.  You've made a shambles of the Capitol of the greatest country on earth.  You're ALL fired!"

Clowngress needs to clean out every single politician there, take away home rule and give it to a class of 3rd graders who would probably do a better job.

DC should be a vision of everything that's right with this country, not everything's that wrong.

we will see

GO CRAIG!!!!!!!

FREE