Sunday, July 6, 2008
Firearms shops, buyers on hold
Dale Metta, who manages Atlantic Guns in Silver Spring, says he has turned away dozens of D.C. residents wanting to buy handguns after the Supreme Court's decision to strike down the city's 32-year-old ban. Mr. Metta says he's making no such sales until the District completes drafting new regulations.
"I'd like to sell anything I have," he said.
The National Rifle Association called the high court's June 26 decision on the strictest ban in the country "a great moment in American history." However, prospective gun buyers and sellers such as Mr. Metta remain on hold as D.C. officials try hastily to draft regulations to comply with the court ruling.
"There's nothing we can do until we know what they will do," Mr. Metta said.
He also said Atlantic Guns received about 75 calls from D.C. residents after the ruling. Other gun shops outside the city, which has none of its own, also received calls but likewise turned away prospective buyers.
Writing for a 5-4 majority, Justice Antonin Scalia said: "We hold that the District's ban on handgun possession in the home violates the Second Amendment, as does its prohibition against rendering any lawful firearm in the home operable for the purpose of immediate self-defense."
The District's ban took effect in 1976 and essentially outlawed private ownership of handguns in a city struggling with violence.
In 1974, two years before the ban took effect, more than half of all homicides were committed with handguns. What effect the ban has had on crime has long been debated, particularly after homicides more than doubled during a crack epidemic in the late 1980s and early '90s.
Supporters of the ban lamented the court ruling and vowed to maintain the strictest handgun measures allowed.
"The Supreme Court's decision . . . was regrettable," said D.C. Council member Phil Mendelson, at-large Democrat. "Nonetheless, it is the law of the land."
Mr. Mendelson introduced legislation Tuesday to repeal the handgun ban and propose new requirements.
Besides banning handguns, D.C. law required that rifles and shotguns be kept unloaded and disassembled, or equipped with trigger locks - restrictions Mr. Mendelson's bill would retain. But bowing to the high court, he offered a broad exemption for guns kept at home for "immediate self-defense."
Gun rights advocates called the bill's wording too narrow, questioning how someone would interpret an immediate need for protection.
"That's a troublesome approach," said John Snyder, of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. He accused the city of trying to make it "as difficult as possible for people to defend themselves."
Mr. Mendelson's bill also would require a ballistics record for handguns and a waiting period for registration to be determined by Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier.
Critics say the proposal doesn't address the city's unusual regulation of machine guns, which the District defines as weapons that shoot at least 12 rounds without reloading. The restriction applies to many popular semiautomatic firearms.
It remains uncertain how quickly the council will move to enact new regulations. Mr. Mendelson said, if needed, he will propose emergency action July 15, before the start of the 13-member council's summer recess.
The city's ban was to remain in effect at least three weeks after the Supreme Court's ruling, until a lower court issues an injunction. The administration of Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, a Democrat, also is drafting new regulations.
Allan Lucas, a licensed firearms instructor in the District, is among those concerned about how new regulations will affect him.
He has been trying for two years to open an indoor shooting range in the city to train security guards and other clients. Because the city has no zoning category for such a business, he takes his clients to ranges in the suburbs.
"It's pretty ridiculous to think of so many people qualifying to register for firearms and not having a range to practice on," he said.
John McRae, who has lived in the District for 40 of his 64 years, is among those thinking of buying a gun once the rules are settled. He said he wants to protect himself from armed criminals.
"If they come into my house, I can't use a broomstick," Mr. McRae said.