Constitutional Law

Bill in Congress Targets Latest D.C. Gun Regulations

Lawmakers in Congress are pushing a bill that would trump the District of Columbia’s newly enacted regulations of handguns. The Washington Post reports that the measure, dubbed the “Second Amendment Enforcement Act,” is likely to be voted on in the House in September. The bill, H.R. 6691, is aimed at invalidating the District’s newest regulations on handguns passed in mid-July. The District approved the new regulations, which include requiring residents to register handguns with D.C police and keeping the guns unloaded, disassembled or fitted with trigger locks when stored, three weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the District’s 32-year-old handgun ban.

The high court in District of Columbia v. Heller concluded that the D.C. ban on handguns violated an individual’s Second Amendment right to possess guns. Rep. Jason Altmire (R-Pa.), one of the sponsors of the bill, says D.C.’s newest regulations on guns remain unconstitutional. In a statement about the bill, Altmire maintained that it would “ensure that government does not infringe upon the rights of law abiding citizens in the District of Columbia.” Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) in a statement critical of congressional efforts to nullify the District’s newest gun regulations said she would work for the defeat of the bill in the Senate. Obtain additional analysis of the Heller decision from a panel discussion at the 2008 ACS National Convention and ACS guest blog posts here and here.

Full post as published by ACS Blog on August 05, 2008 (boomark / email).