Reuters is reporting that the 31 year-old law banning hand guns in Washington, D.C. will be reviewed by the Supreme Court in the first half of next year. A U.S. Appeals court has already struck down the law on the grounds that it violates the Second Amendment of the Constitution. Proponents of the law argue that a ruling against its constitutionality by the Supreme Court would put laws banning citizens from owning assault weapons in jeopardy. (And the problem with that is…what?)
The new United States of Future Victims has come forward with its support:
The city’s appeal was supported by the states of Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland and New York.
Where’s Massachusetts and California? Their populations love to be victims. I’m sort of surprised that neither one of them have jumped on the bandwagon. (Does anyone else notice a high correlation between states supporting homosexuality and gun control? Just wondering…)
Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty said the law has saved many lives over its three decades. “We are committed to fighting for the safety of and welfare of the district’s residents and are glad that the Supreme Court will allow us to present our arguments there,” he said.
Let’s be clear about something here. To say that a law has saved lives is clearly a non-sequitur. The efforts of police officers, the diligence of prosecutors, the education of children, and the accountability that family and community provides have all saved lives. There is no simple cause-effect relationship between a statute outlawing guns and the number of lives saved. This is the worst form of wishful thinking by people who think that education and happy thoughts will make the criminals go away.
My sincere hope is that the Second Amendment is given an interpretation with more latitude than it currently has. I dislike government meddling, but this is a situation where our Federal leaders have the obligation to ensure that our social contract is enforced across state lines (and the District of Columbia).
![Let’s Kill Hitler [HD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51hESmStH-L._SL160_.jpg)
Interesting Footnote placed in the Appeals Court ruling:
“Critics have long said that the D.C. law is ineffective, noting that the city has had hundreds of homicides in recent years, most of which were committed with handguns. Of last year’s 169 homicides, 137 were committed with firearms, D.C. police said. Enforcing the strict handgun ban is difficult with so many guns on the streets, but police recovered more than 2,600 guns last year.
This was not lost on the Court of Appeals. In a footnote, Silberman noted that “the black market for handguns in the District is so strong that handguns are readily available (probably at little premium) to criminals. It is asserted, therefore, that the D.C. gun control laws irrationally prevent only law abiding citizens from owning handguns.”"