New D.C. Gun Restrictions Unveiled
POSTED: 10:00 am EDT July 14, 2008
UPDATED: 12:31 pm EDT July 14, 2008
WASHINGTON -- D.C. officials unveiled new legislation Monday imposing strict controls on handguns and rules for registering firearms in the District.
The new regulations come after the Supreme Court struck down the city's 32-year-old ban on handguns last month, ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller that Americans can keep guns at home for self-defense.
Handguns will still be banned, except for self-defense in the home, city officials said at a noon news conference. Sawed-off shotguns, machine guns and short-barreled rifles are still prohibited.
Police will register one handgun per person for the first 90 days after the legislation becomes law, city officials said. A six-month amnesty period will be set up during which residents can register guns already in their possession.
Police will require ballistic testing on handguns before they are registered to see if the weapon was stolen or used in a crime, officials said.
The new legislation also modifies existing law to clarify that firearms must be stored unloaded and either disassembled or secured with a trigger lock, gun safe or similar device, officials said.The legislation includes an exception if a person reasonably perceives a threat of immediate harm to a person within a registered gun owner's home.
The D.C. Council is expected act on the emergency legislation called "Firearms Control Emergency Act of 2008" during the July 15 legislative session.
Police Chief Cathy Lanier also announced new rules for registering firearms and licensing firearms dealers.
D.C. residents who want to register handguns must complete an application from MPD's firearms registration section, pass a written firearms test and provide photos, proof of residency and proof of good vision. They will also be fingerprinted.
Residents can take approved applications to licensed firearms dealers within the District to pick up their weapon. Weapons purchased from dealers outside the District must be taken to dealers in the city to complete the transaction. Ballistics tests will be performed before the weapons can be taken home, police said.
Police will allow residents to register handguns they already own for the next six months. The Office of the Attorney General will not prosecute residents for unregistered possession during this amnesty period, but people who have committed crimes with firearms will remain subject to prosecution, police said. People who bring a firearm from another jurisdiction into D.C. must take it to the Firearms Registration Section or notify the section they will do so within 48 hours.
Police also clarified rules for becoming a licensed firearms dealer. Dealers must be licensed by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, among other provisions.
http://www.nbc4.com/news/16876021/detail.html
These folks never learn.
