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House Democrats Seek Less-Rigid D.C. Gun Laws
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Democrats have a 37-seat advantage in the House.
While the debate goes on, D.C. police are continuing to process gun-registration applications, limiting owners to one handgun each while the prohibition on most semiautomatic handguns remains in place.
As of Friday, police said, 21 applications had been received and 11 approved. Among those who now have legal handguns in their D.C. homes is Dick A. Heller, 66, a security guard from Capitol Hill who sued the city over the 1976 handgun ban and won the Supreme Court case.
Heller filed another lawsuit against the District last week, alleging that the restrictions imposed by the District after the high court's decision violate the letter and spirit of the ruling.
Of the 11 newly registered handguns, police said, eight had been stored outside the District by their owners while the ban was in place. The other three were kept illegally in D.C. homes during the ban and were registered in recent days under an amnesty program.
Police said three applications have been denied (and the handguns seized) because the applicants had criminal records. The other seven applications are pending.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said two men are federally licensed to sell firearms in D.C. But the men deal only with selected clients, including police officers and security companies, the agency said.
Unless the House legislation becomes law, allowing D.C. residents to purchase handguns across state lines in Virginia and Maryland, most would-be gun owners in the nation's capital will have to wait for a federally licensed dealer in the city to start doing business with more customers.
