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Gun Bill Dangerous, D.C. Chief Tells House
"Imagine how difficult it will be for law enforcement to safeguard the public" if semiautomatic guns are allowed, D.C. Chief Cathy L. Lanier said.
(By Katherine Frey -- The Washington Post)
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Lanier and Phillip D. Morse, chief of the U.S. Capitol Police, testified that a law allowing people to carry semiautomatic pistols and rifles in public could have dire consequences because the city hosts so many top politicians, dignitaries and special events.
Lanier said checkpoints, fencing and other measures used to prevent people from using firearms at gatherings such as Fourth of July festivities would be useless against semiautomatic rifles.
"The change in that security is drastic," she said.
Supporters of the gun bill responded that terrorists were unlikely to buy weapons legally. The real issue, they said, was the District's high crime rate and residents' ability to defend themselves.
"I find it really astonishing the elected officials and appointed officials here would want to continue practices that do no good for the citizens," said Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC).
Referring to Lanier's remark that D.C. residents can already protect themselves at home by legally owning shotguns or pistols, Foxx said, "What an arrogant comment."
After the Supreme Court ruling, the D.C. Council passed temporary legislation to allow residents to acquire revolvers for self-defense in the home. Critics have said it is too restrictive.
Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) said yesterday that he will seek to amend the temporary legislation at a session Tuesday to address some of the critics' concerns. The council is expected to work on new, permanent legislation in the next weeks.
