D.C. on verge of new gun law

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By David C. Lipscomb and Gary Emerling

D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty on Monday announced the proposed emergency legislation, which allows guns to be registered for self-defense in the home, requires that a ballistic record be kept on a registered gun, clarifies safe-storage requirements and makes clear that a "carry" license is not required to have guns in the home.

City officials said the legislation will "clarify that firearms in the home must be stored unloaded and either disassembled (or) secured with a trigger lock, gun safe or similar device," with an exception made for a firearm used against a "reasonably-perceived threat" of immediate harm to a person within a registered gun owner's home.

Mike Stollenwerk, co-founder of OpenCarry.org, said the bill "doesn't comply with the [court's] decision."

"They're only meeting this thing halfway," he said.

Georgetown University's law school, said the new storage requirements appear to be reasonable restrictions permitted under the court's decision.

"What the court ultimately said is that people have the right to possess handguns in their home and the state cannot unreasonably interfere with that right," he said. "I think the District has a good argument that this is not inconsistent with the thrust of the Supreme Court's ruling."

Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said even gun manufacturers recommend safe-storage measures and that the city's revised proposals appear to satisfy the high court's ruling.

Still, Mr. Helmke said, he would not be surprised by legal challenges.

"It looks like they've tried to rewrite their legislation to comply with the court ruling [while] making as few changes as possible," he said. "It looks like they wrote it in such a way that it should comply with what Justice Scalia said."

If the 13-member D.C. Council passes the legislation as expected Tuesday, residents would be allowed to register their handguns as early as Wednesday.