RB

I am not positive but I think DC only limited certain types of guns, not all guns. I think they were allowed hunting rifles just not handguns and semi auto weapons.


U.S. House Bill Would Kill D.C. Gun Bans
9/16/2004



There is majority support in the U.S. House of Representatives for a bill that would repeal many of the existing gun laws in the District of Columbia, the Washington Post reported Sept. 14.

The D.C. Personal Protection Act, sponsored by Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.), would lift the ban on handguns in D.C., which has one of the strictest gun bans in the nation. In addition, the bill would remove a ban on semiautomatic weapons; remove registration requirements for ammunition and other firearms; and cancel criminal penalties for those possessing unregistered firearms or carrying a handgun in one's home or workplace.

The legislation would also prohibit the District's elected officials from enacting laws or regulations "that discourage or eliminate the private ownership or use of firearms."

"This is a constitutional issue, not a home-rule question," Souder said. "The fact is, we didn't allow the District to have home rule on the selling of slaves, either."

District Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) argued that repealing the District's gun laws would increase violence in the city.

The bill, which has 228 co-sponsors, has enough support to pass the 435-member House. However, passage in the U.S. Senate is doubtful.


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