It wasn’t until 1932 that a permit was required to carry a concealed weapon in the District of Columbia. It was legal to carry pistols openly until 1943. At the time, it was clear that the prohibition didn’t apply to long arms. In 1973, the District of Columbia was granted “home rule.” In 1976, the new District government passed the Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975. The law went into effect in 1977. It has now been over 70 years since it was legal to openly carry a pistol in the District of Columbia. But that changed over the weekend . . .
In the recent District Court decision, Palmer v. D.C., judge Scully cites the Peruta decision in the Ninth Circuit heavily, saying it’s clear that there exists a constitutional right to carry guns outside the home. And that the existing bans on the general carry of guns outside the home are unconstitutional. Peruta strikes down the local discretion to deny carry permits to the vast majority of applicants.
The District’s Police Chief Cathy Lanier has ordered the force not to arrest people carrying pistols unless they have felony records. And now one unknown Second Amendment activist has taken the opportunity to post a photograph of himself openly carrying in our nation’s capital. He will likely be the first of many.
But all is not yet final. Attorneys representing the District D.C. have asked the court for a stay of 180 days. You can read their request here.