D.C. Second Amendment Enforcement Act Passes House, Moves to Senate

As you read this NRA press release, ask yourself how Barack Obama would vote on this legislation, and then watch how his allies in the Senate act in the coming weeks to make sure he doesn't have to.

Fairfax, VA - The U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday, September 17 to approve the National Rifle Association (NRA)-backed "Second Amendment Enforcement Act" in an overwhelming bi-partisan vote of 266-152. The Act, passed as an amendment to H.R. 6842, will overturn the District of Columbia's gun control restrictions that defy the recent Supreme Court ruling by continuing to limit D.C. residents' right to self-defense. This bill is necessary to enforce the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in District of Columbia v. Heller.

Following passage, Chris W. Cox, NRA's chief lobbyist remarked, "From the moment the Supreme Court overturned this failed gun ban, elitist politicians have sought to undermine the Court's decision with bogus emergency regulations that all but stop residents from exercising their Second Amendment rights. NRA wants to make sure D.C. residents are able to protect themselves and their families."

On June 26, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled "the District's ban on handgun possession in the home violates the Second Amendment, as does its prohibition against rendering any lawful firearm in the home operable for the purpose of immediate self-defense."
A bi-partisan group of Congressmen introduced legislation this summer to force the D.C. Council into compliance with the Supreme Court after the council enacted 'emergency' gun-control restrictions on its residents after D.C.'s gun ban and self-defense ban were overturned.

The Second Amendment Enforcement Act will:

• Repeal the District's ban on semi-automatic handguns. Semi-automatic pistols have been the most commonly purchased firearms in the United States over the last 20 years, and therefore a ban on those firearms is unconstitutional as decided by Heller;
  Restore the right of self-defense by repealing the requirement that firearms be disassembled or secured with a trigger lock in the home;
• Reform the current D.C. registration system that requires multiple visits to police headquarters; ballistics testing; passing a written test on D.C. gun laws; fingerprinting; and limiting registration to one handgun per 90 days. The current system is unduly burdensome and serves as a vehicle for even more onerous restrictions; and
• Create a limited exemption to the federal ban on interstate handgun sales by allowing D.C. residents to purchase handguns in Virginia and Maryland. Currently there is only one licensed firearm dealer in the District, and the District government is standing in the way of additional dealers opening their doors. A 40-year old federal law prohibits residents from purchasing handguns outside of the District.

'I'd like to thank Congressmen Travis Childers, John Dingell, John Tanner, Mike Ross, Mark Souder, Bill Sali and Robin Hayes for their leadership. NRA will continue our work to bring the Second Amendment to D.C. residents, but we call on the Senate now to take up this historic legislation," concluded Cox. "The American people should know where their elected representatives stand on this critical civil rights legislation before the November elections."

--nra--

Related Media coverage:
Congressional Quarterly - House Passes Rollback of D.C. Gun Laws; Senator Vows to Block Further Action

The measure is not expected to advance any further. California Democrat Dianne Feinstein has already vowed to block the legislation in the Senate.

“I’d filibuster it. You bet your life I would,” Feinstein said. “I think it is the height of folly.”

Senate Democratic leadership aides said Tuesday that a crowded calendar would make it difficult to find time for consideration of the measure. Norton predicted that there would be “multiple holds” in the Senate on homeland security grounds and hopes that Senate allies will “strangle this bill in the crib.”

...Proponents argue the measure is needed to force the District to comply with the Supreme Court decision. They say the city government, which passed an initial set of temporary regulations in July and another set Sept. 16, is not respecting the ruling.