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D.C.'s Ban On Handguns In Homes Is Thrown Out
Joined by D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, left, Winston Robinson Jr., assistant chief of police, comments after the ruling on the city's handgun ban in homes. Fenty said he was "outraged."
(By Susan Biddle -- The Washington Post)
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Plaintiff Gillian St. Lawrence, 28, who lives with her husband in Georgetown, said she has a shotgun in her home and, following District law, keeps it unloaded and bound with a trigger lock. She said she's looking forward to residents "being able to defend themselves in their homes."
NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre said, "The only people who have anything to fear from a decision like this are the people who intend to break into someone's home in the middle of the night."
But former U.S. deputy attorney general Eric H. Holder Jr. said that weakening the gun law "opens the door to more people having more access to guns and putting guns on the streets."
If the District appeals, the first step would be to seek a review by the full D.C. Circuit. After that decision, the Supreme Court could be asked to review the case. Constitutional scholars said the case is ripe for an airing before the Supreme Court no matter who might prevail in an appeal. However, some scholars said that a D.C. loss in the high court could create a stronger precedent against strict gun laws.
D.C. Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) said the ruling could "lead to the overturning of every gun control law in the city. I don't think we have any choice but to fight it."
D.C. resident Kenny Barnes, who became a gun control advocate after his 37-year-old son was shot to death on U Street NW, called the ruling "crazy."
"What kind of message are you sending?" Barnes asked. "This is not Dodge City in the 1800s."
Staff writers Tom Jackman, Elissa Silverman and John Wagner and staff researcher Meg Smith contributed to this report.
