It seems even the dedicated anti-gun crowd that runs our nation’s capital know when they’ve been beaten. And the Washington Post is in full mourning mode.
District officials will not appeal a court order blocking enforcement of the city’s restrictions on the carrying of concealed guns in public, setting the stage for what could be a marked increase in firearms on the streets of the nation’s capital.
D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine (D) (above) and Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) will announce the decision not to appeal to the Supreme Court this afternoon, according to a city official with knowledge of the decision.
This means that, as in so many other jurisdictions around the country, DC residents will no longer have to demonstrate need in order to get a concealed carry permit.
The city’s move comes as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit is expected to issue an order as soon as today enforcing its recent ruling that struck down the District’s requirement that people seeking licenses to carry concealed weapons must demonstrate a “good reason” — such as a credible fear of violence — for carrying a gun in public.
DC residents may want to secure that permit sooner rather than later, though.
It means permit-seekers could begin applying to carry concealed weapons as soon as today. It is not yet clear whether city officials will attempt to rewrite the law to enforce additional permit restrictions beyond the requirements — for a background check and firearms training — that the appeals court left intact.
What are the odds?