Another anti-gun editorial from WaPo, RE: H.R. 6691

[Rugerlvr]

I wonder just how many of the residents favor the gun bans as they stand? This editorial seems to think that the D.C. mayor's office actually represents the people of D.C.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/07/AR2008090701982.html

The House's Stickup
Democrats agree to consider legislation stripping the District of the right to regulate guns.

HOUSE Democrats make much of their support for the right of the District to self-government. Too bad they are willing to sacrifice this basic tenet of American democracy to the political self-interests of members cowed by the powerful gun lobby. How else to explain a planned vote on legislation so extreme it would strip the District of all power to regulate guns? Since appeals for home rule don't appear to be persuasive these days, let's hope that concern about safety and security in the nation's capital kills this bad bill.

H.R. 6691 is the latest effort by the National Rifle Association to wrest jurisdiction over local gun legislation from the District's elected officials. It comes as city officials are in the midst of formulating permanent legislation to comply with the landmark Supreme Court ruling overturning the city's long-standing ban on handguns. Sponsors of the measure, 47 conservative Democrats and five Republicans, say that D.C. officials can't be trusted and so they are acting to ensure Second Amendment rights for city residents. It's a maddening argument considering that none of those who signed on to the bill would ever stomach letting Congress dictate local law to their constituents.

Equally troubling is that the bill goes beyond the scope of the ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller authorizing gun possession for self-defense in the home. The majority opinion by Justice Antonin Scalia specified that a range of gun regulations are "presumptively lawful." But, if sponsors of H.R. 6691 have their way, the District would be barred from passing any law that would "prohibit, constructively prohibit, or unduly burden" gun ownership by anyone not barred by existing (and weak) federal gun laws. That would mean that the District couldn't require a vision test or shooting proficiency or education about gun safety for children. Gun registration would be abolished, as would the ban on carrying weapons -- even military-style rifles -- in public. It's a scary scenario in a city where political protests, presidential motorcades and visits by foreign dignitaries are routine.
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The only reason this bill has advanced is because the NRA has threatened to withhold endorsements from conservative Democrats in tough races this year. Faced with a threat by Democrats to sign on to a Republican effort to bring a similar measure straight to the floor, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) caved in to demands for a hearing tomorrow before the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. But it's not too late for the House leadership to decide they have better things to do than rewriting the D.C. Code -- and usurping the rights of city residents.

 

[novaDAK]

by anyone not barred by existing (and weak) federal gun laws.

yeah..says you.

 

[LAR-15]

Let's reverse shoes for a minute:

What if this bill BANNED semi auto guns in DC holding 12 or more rounds yet the residents of DC/ DC Govt were opposed to such a measure?

Would the Post come out against such a bill by Congress?

 

[highorder]

the right to regulate guns

Where is that Right enumerated? I missed that one.

 

[Zedo]

The House's Stickup
Democrats agree to consider legislation stripping the District of the right to regulate guns.

Or, to be more accurate:

Legislators agree to conform to judicial mandate from SCOTUS.

It's the law of the land. Time to be "law abiding."

Since appeals for home rule don't appear to be persuasive these days, let's hope that concern about safety and security in the nation's capital kills this bad bill.

The "appeals to home rule" got struck down when SCOTUS in "Brown v. Board of Education" ruled that "separate is not equal" and that segregation cannot be allowed to stand regardless of "local sentiment."

The ideological concept of a Constitution is to protect the rights of minorities from the tyranny of majority rule. That's real basic political science stuff. Any journalist should have covered it as an undergrad.

If you want to step on some toes . . . Let's formulate a bill that requires arbitrary controls intended to keep the "Press" from making asinine editorial pronouncements in print.

 

[Snapping Twig]

"cowed by the gun lobby"

Talk about outright lies! Try the SCOTUS you communist scum!

 

[Standing Wolf]

Democrats agree to consider legislation stripping the District of the right to regulate guns.

Government doesn't have rights. Only individuals have rights. Government has powers and authority, not rights.

Those who define the terms generally win the arguments.

 

[misANTHrope]

No one cries louder than a loser.

 

[MAKster]

The full House might vote on this bill as early as this week.

 

[Rugerlvr]

And the Brady bunch chimes in:

Brady Campaign Urges Opposition to Bill That Would Allow Assault Rifles on D.C. Streets

WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Brady Campaign to
Prevent Gun Violence sent a letter today urging federal security agencies
to oppose gun lobby-backed legislation that the House of Representatives
will be discussing this week. The bill, H.R. 6691, would extinguish
virtually all gun regulations in the nation's Capital, allowing the open
carrying of assault rifles and .50 caliber sniper rifles on the streets of
Washington, and putting government officials, foreign dignitaries, and
tourists at grave risk of harm.

H.R. 6691 would eliminate many of Washington D.C.'s existing gun laws,
and would bar the District Government from enacting any new gun laws that
might "discourage" gun ownership. It would enable citizens in D.C. to
purchase AK-47s and other semiautomatic military-style assault rifles
anywhere in the country where they're legal, transport them into the
nation's Capital and carry them in public. It would permit individuals to
legally own .50 caliber sniper rifles accurate up to more than a mile and
effective up to four miles, and it would make it more difficult to break up
gun trafficking operations based in the District. The bill would gravely
impair law enforcement's ability to protect the nation's Capital, and the
people who work and visit there. While the bill is ostensibly a response to
the Supreme Court's recent Second Amendment decision in D.C. v. Heller, it
rejects limitations that the court described as "presumptively lawful."

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence today sent a letter to
Michael Chertoff, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security;
Attorney General Michael Mukasey; FBI Director Robert Mueller and Mark
Sullivan, Director of the U.S. Secret Service, urging them to oppose the
legislation on national security grounds. "To allow the streets of
Washington to be flooded with weapons of war and other firearms is a
homeland security nightmare," Brady President Paul Helmke wrote.

"The D.C. government took immediate action after the Supreme Court's
ruling to comply with the requirements of that ruling, and D.C. officials
are now well into the next phase of response to that ruling," Helmke said
today. "Congress should give the D.C. government a fair chance to do its
job. This bill is a rejection of the limitations approved in Justice
Scalia's majority opinion. It would make our nation's Capital decidedly
less safe just as we are preparing to inaugurate a new President."

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is scheduled to
hold a hearing on the subject tomorrow, Tuesday, September 9, and then a
markup on September 10.

The Brady Campaign letter is available on the Brady website at
http://www.bradycampaign.org/xshare/pdf/letters/HR-6691-DC-security.pdf.

As the nation's largest, non-partisan, grassroots organization leading
the fight to prevent gun violence, the Brady Campaign, with its dedicated
network of Million Mom March Chapters, works to enact and enforce sensible
gun laws, regulations and public policies. The Brady Campaign is devoted to
creating an America free from gun violence, where all Americans are safe at
home, at school, at work, and in our communities.

Visit the Brady Campaign website at http://www.bradycampaign.org. For
continuing insight and comment on the gun issue, read Paul Helmke's blog at
http://www.bradycampaign.org/blog/.

CONTACT:

Peter Hamm

Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence

202-898-0792

[email protected]





SOURCE Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence

 

[csmkersh]

To read the actual bill as found on Thomas, go HERE
​

 

[Aguila Blanca]

Journalism-speak: "Weak"

People-speak: "Draconian"

It's all in how you view it.