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U.S. House, D.C. Council Wrestle Over Gun Control
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"Democrats were met in a dark alley with a do-or-die demand from the NRA, pointing a proverbial gun at their reelection" campaigns, said Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.).
Rep. Jose E. Serrano (D-N.Y.) said, "D.C. does not need a second mayor and does not need a second city council, although there are members here today who seem intent on being both."
In a statement, the White House backed the House measure.
"It would immediately advance Second Amendment principles by directly protecting the individual right of law-abiding District residents to keep and bear commonly used firearms not only to protect themselves and their families but also to protect their homes and property," it said.
Foes of the bill have contended that it would allow D.C. residents to carry semiautomatic rifles on the streets, but the House measure that was debated yesterday would ban that possibility.
It would, however, allow residents to keep semiautomatic rifles in their homes, which D.C. law currently forbids.
The measure also would allow District residents to buy guns in Virginia and Maryland and would bar the council from taking any action to "discourage or eliminate" private ownership or use of firearms.
After the Supreme Court ruling, the District set up a registration process for revolvers. But it continued to ban most magazine-loaded semiautomatic pistols and required that handguns be kept unloaded in homes and either disassembled or fitted with trigger locks when not being used in self-defense.
Supporters of the Supreme Court decision have complained that those restrictions and others violate at least the spirit, if not the letter, of the ruling. That prompted some House members to push for legislation that would do away with nearly all local gun control rules in the city.
While the House began debating that proposal, the council voted without debate yesterday to allow ownership of semiautomatics and to let handgun owners keep their weapons loaded and unlocked at home.
The emergency measure will remain in effect for a limited time while the council continues working on a permanent gun control law that probably would include the changes made yesterday.
Staff writer Martin Weil contributed to this report.
