Sure, the Heller decision meant that DC residents can now legally own a handgun. Technically. Practically, though, the city has erected as many hurdles to gun ownership as the town’s overseers’ furtive, bureaucratic minds could concoct. And as a result, they’ve had to defend themselves in court. Now, evidently tiring of the hassle – and maybe embarrassed into doing something about it – one DC councilman has introduced a bill that would ease some of the idiocy…
Courtesy of washingtonpost.com, here’s what Phil Mendelson’s bill would do. Swallow your coffee first, okay?
The District would still require would-be gun owners to take a firearms safety course, but under the Mendelson bill they would be allowed to possess a gun temporarily while taking the course. Gun owners would no longer have to take a vision test and would only have to pass a test on the District’s gun laws once, upon initial registration.
Also, residents would still be required to register their weapons with police, but they would no longer have to submit their guns to police for ballistic identification before taking them home.
Safety course, written test, eye exam, registration and test firing. What, no DNA sample? If the gun owner fails the course, will the DC PD knock on their door at some point and confiscate the “temporarily-owned” gun?
Whatever. It may be a step in the right direction, but I wouldn’t bet the rent money on this passing the DC city council any time soon. The best bet for a DC resident who wants to own a firearm is still moving to Virginia and that doesn’t look to change any time soon.
