Voting and Gun Rights in the District
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I disagree with the way the voting rights issue was framed in the March 21 front-page article "D.C. Weighs Price of Securing Vote in Congress."
This isn't a choice between voting rights and guns but a basic choice between congressional representation and local autonomy. Whatever people think about guns, the people of the District, acting through their democratically elected government, have written their gun-safety laws in response to the Supreme Court's decision in District of Columbia v. Heller. It is up to the courts -- not to Congress or to individual D.C. residents -- to decide whether our gun law is constitutional.
If we allow Congress to overturn our gun-safety laws, we will have agreed to its infringement of the District's autonomy on any issue. Most of us who champion congressional representation for the District also champion the local autonomy that every other U.S. jurisdiction enjoys. As pragmatic idealists, we support compromise when we can advance our cause incrementally. In this case, however, we would be taking one step forward on congressional representation and a serious step backward on autonomy. That is not compromise but strategic error.
For this reason, DC for Democracy strongly opposes any language in the D.C. House Voting Rights Act that undermines the District's autonomy on the issue of guns or anything. While we have worked hard to advance this legislation, we cannot allow this bill to undermine the goal of full citizenship rights for our people.
KESH LADDUWAHETTY
Chair
DC for Democracy
Washington
