Tuesday, September 14, 2004

More Gun Stuff: Congress is trying to supercede the total gun ban in Washington, DC. The city government there does not allowed any residents or visitors to bring guns in the city limits -- not even in their own homes for safety.

As we all know, this has done a bang-up job in reducing crime in the District. Criminals have guns, but residents can't protect themselves. Congress recognizes that the law is absurd and that even though it's popular, the gun restrictions infringe on the rights of the minority in the city.

But I'm torn. I'm sick of the control Congress has over the District. Congress has final say over everything that happens in Washington, DC, but residents there have no voice in either house of Congress.

Federal lawmakers have taken advantage of that by forcing their pet projects on the DC residents (see vouchers). Congress needs to learn that they can't run the District like it's a terrarium in their home. It's partly because DC has no home rule that I chose to reside in neighboring Arlington, Virginia.

So while I support gun rights, I do not condone what the House of Representatives is trying to do (not that it matters, because the bill would likely die in the Senate). However, that doesn't change the fact that the District of Columbia's complete ban on guns is unconstitutional.

If Massachusetts had enacted a total ban in the state, I would applaud Congress or the courts for overturning such an oppressive law. But because Congress has abused their power over the District in the past, they deserve to lose this one. DC residents who want to own guns should take up this issue in the courts.