Fenty ready to throw D.C. gun control under the bus.....

[Pullo]

.....in exchange for D.C. voting rights

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dc/2009/03/fenty_dc_residents_support_vot.html

I would love to see this bill reach Obama's desk ;)

[X_Digger]

1. This guy doesn't inspire my confidence..

But hey, if it gets DC abiding by the SCOTUS' decision in Heller, works for me.

[spin]

2. The anti-gun groups are terrified of citizens in Washington D.C.

having the right to own firearms for self protection.

With good reason. Crime might actually drop.

The Supreme Court's decision last summer to strike down the District's unconstitutional ban on handguns affirmed what many of us already knew -- that the Framers guaranteed all Americans an individual right to bear arms. After that decision, the D.C. government repeatedly demonstrated that it intended to do as much as possible to defy the ruling. For example, the District first claimed that city residents could exercise their constitutional right to self-defense, but only as long as their firearms were kept unloaded and disabled until the moment they confronted an attacker. Subsequent city actions have not been much better.

The District imposed a number of restrictions, including burdensome registration processes and reporting requirements. It required parental consent for legal adults old enough to enlist in the military and carry weapons. The city also banned many firearms, including some handguns, which the justices noted are effective for self-defense. All of this serves only to frustrate and discourage D.C. residents from exercising their legal rights to bear arms.

If strict gun control worked, then the District -- which had long been home to the nation's most restrictive gun control measures -- would be the safest place in the country. But gun violence in the city was consistently among the highest in the nation throughout the 30 years that the city banned handguns. The reason is obvious: A gun control law will not dissuade violent criminals from killing or robbing with guns. Criminals use illegal guns purchased on the black market. Washington's police officers are on the front lines of the battle against violent crime, and they know, as the Fraternal Order of Police recently stated, that the handgun ban was "a miserable failure by any estimation." They also know that many city officials are devoted to the gun ban because it provides political cover for the District's dismal crime numbers.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/12/AR2009031202998.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

welcome to DU

[DonP]

3. Questionable at best

Fenty, mental giant that he has proven to be, was being interviewed and said that "we can always rescind and change the new gun laws once we get the House seat".

Even if he thinks he can pull that off with no repercussions, it's a really dumb thing to say for the record and shows that he just doesn't get it. It seems like he's guilty of believing his own press releases about how wonderful he is.

I'm sure he and his cronies still think Heller was a "suggestion" and not a law they must abide by. He will keep running up big lawyers bills ($3.6 million they owe Gura and Possessky so far) but hey, it's tax money so who cares.

[Angleae]

4. They won't get to keep their house seat even if it passes.

Tbe Constitution reserves such for states, not districts or territories.

[Jackson1999]

5. Welcome to my world

I live in DC and therefore, am living this issue. Fenty is just acknowledging reality. The DC Council really painted themselves into a corner with their non-compliance with Heller. It may be too little too late, however. Yes, I want the vote. Yes, I want real 2A rights, and No, I don't want to lose the right of DC to govern itself on gun laws. BUT, the City Council's actions are making this impossible. I'll take the vote and the Congressional mandated relaxing of gun laws if that's all we can get.

[Furyataurus]

6. What I don't understand is

why can't D.C. residents by guns in Maryland? They are NOT crossing STATE lines by buying guns in Maryland, are they????

[ManiacJoe]

7. DC is not in Maryland.

For that matter, DC is not in any state.