SCOTUS Must Hold D.C. Council in Contempt – Put them in JAIL

Man does this just make me mad. The recent SCOTUS decision confirmed that the Second Amendment was an individual right, but the Washington D.C. government still refuses to get with the program. This morning Dick Heller went to city hall or where ever to apply for his permit and it was automatically rejected.

Heller’s pistol is a semi-automatic handgun that has a magazine that holds seven rounds. For those interested, I would guess that the weapon is a .40 or .45 caliber. They denied the application for no good reason at all, just to be a pain in the ass and illegally fight the SCOTUS decision.

He did not bring his weapon to the meeting since his lawyer figured there was a good chance he’d be arrested doing so.

Here’s the information from WUSA9.com…

Dick Heller is the man who brought the lawsuit against the District’s 32-year-old ban on handguns. He was among the first in line Thursday morning to apply for a handgun permit.

But when he tried to register his semi-automatic weapon, he says he was rejected. He says his gun has seven bullet clip. Heller says the City Council legislation allows weapons with fewer than eleven bullets in the clip. A spokesman for the DC Police says the gun was a bottom-loading weapon, and according to their interpretation, all bottom-loading guns are outlawed because they are grouped with machine guns.

Are you kidding me? A semi-automatic pistol that holds seven rounds is grouped with fully automatic machine guns?

Someone needs to step up and slap these Washington D.C. bullies around and let them know they are dead wrong on this. Can Heller sue the District for 10 million dollars? 100 million dollars? I think that might be the only way to stop them.

Does SCOTUS have the ability to throw these criminals (the D.C. City Council) in jail for contempt of court?

HotAir has more, Malkin is mad, and I’m totally incensed at the city where I lived during two years of college.

I used to like Washington D.C. I have no desire to go back. Washington D.C. bureaucrats are IDIOTS; when it comes to education, taxes, second amendment rights and just about any other government function they are terrible – and the citizens pay.

Check out what Heller’s experience was like…

Heller, accompanied by an adviser, was met on the steps of the building by a cluster of camera crews and Lt. Jon Shelton, head of the firearms registration unit. In an animated discussion, police explained to Heller that he needed to show officials the guns he wanted to register — and allow them to be test-fired — as part of the registration process.

Heller’s adviser, Dane von Breichenruchardt, president of the Bill of Rights Foundation, a public interest group, said Heller owns at least two handguns — a .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol and a 9-shot, .22-caliber revolver — and has stored them for years with a friend in Maryland. Although officials said that gun owners in Heller’s situation can bring legally owned firearms from other jurisdictions into the District in order to register them, von Breichenruchardt said he had told Heller not to do so without written assurance that it was permissible.

After Assistant Police Chief Peter J. Newsham promised Heller in front of a dozen reporters and news cameras that he would “absolutely not” get in trouble for bringing a revolver into the city, von Breichenruchardt said Heller would do so another day. Neither Heller nor his adviser seemed upset by the delay.

Yeah right, he won’t get in trouble. Suuuurrre.

So, just what is the process D.C. residents must go through? Here are the rules, but I’ve copied them here and added some comments in red.

Provisions for registering a handgun purchased for self-defense in a District residence.

  • A District resident who seeks to register a handgun must obtain an application form from MPD’s Firearms Registration Section and take it to a firearms dealer for assistance in completing it.
  • The applicant must submit photos, proof of residency and proof of good vision (such as a driver’s license or doctor’s letter), and pass a written firearms test. Written test? What is this test? Who administers this test? Is it available in languages other than English? I ask because I’d like to take the test in Polynesian please. Are police officers required to take the same test?
  • If the applicant is successful on the test, s(he) must pay registration fees and submit to fingerprinting. MPD will file one set of fingerprints and submit the other to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for analysis and criminal background check. How much are the fees? Is it $100 per year like it is for those requesting Massachusetts non-resident permits? Just want to check if I need to tap the 401k.
  • MPD will notify the applicant whether all registration requirements are satisfied. At that point, the applicant returns to the Firearms Registration Section to complete the process and receive MPD’s seal on the application. What is the turn around time? Is there a law on the books that requires the applicant get an answer by a specific time? Is their an appeals board as efficient as the one in Connecticut?
  • The applicant takes his or her completed application to a licensed firearm dealer to take delivery of the pistol. If the dealer is outside the District, the dealer transports the pistol to a licensed dealer in the District to complete the transaction. Is there a licensed FFL in the District? Looks like the only one I can find might not be willing to help me out. [Reference for readers]
  • The applicant takes the pistol to the Firearms Registration Section for ballistics testing. When testing is complete, the applicant may retrieve the pistol and take it home. Are you kidding me? Hand my pistol over for ballistics testing? What happens if you mess it up and it no longer shoots straight? What kind of handgun training is required of those who are handling my weapon? I’m shooting about 300 to 500 rounds a month and have taken courses that involved proper concealed carry techniques over three days and 24 hours involving more than 1,200 rounds. Who’s more qualified?

Provisions for registering a handgun legally registered in another jurisdiction, or a handgun possessed in the District but not registered.

  • Applicants bringing a firearm from another jurisdiction into the District must transport it immediately to the Firearms Registration Section, or notify the Section that they will do so within 48 hours.
  • MPD will allow the registration of previously possessed handguns other than those that qualify as “machine guns” under District law (that is, all automatics and most semiautomatic pistols) for the next six months. During that period, the Office of the Attorney General has established an Amnesty policy not to prosecute anyone for unregistered possession of such a handgun when it is brought to MPD for registration, although those who have committed other crimes with firearms of course remain subject to prosecution. You read that correctly – no semi-automatic pistols are welcome in the district. What makes a 10 shot revolver safer [cough, cough] than my 8 shot 1911? This flies in the face of the SCOTUS decision.
  • Regulations for registering handguns in either of these two scenarios are similar to those for newly-purchased handguns, but do not require the assistance of a licensed firearms dealer.

Provisions for transporting firearms legally within the District.

  • When the law allows transporting a firearm legally, the owner must transport it unloaded and securely wrapped in a package, with the package visible in plain view. And how the heck is the firearm supposed to be wrapped and in plain view so that …. oh, never mind. I’m forgetting how stupid you D.C. gun haters are.

Provisions for becoming a licensed firearms dealer.

  • Firearms dealers must first be licensed by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
  • Potential firearms dealers must be eligible to register guns in the District and eligible under federal law to sell them.
  • Firearms dealer licenses will be valid for one year.
  • Applications for dealer licenses will include a sworn or affirmed statement by the applicant, and may require photographs and fingerprints.
  • Firearms dealers must also comply with other District licensing and zoning requirements, such as having a Basic Business License and certificate of occupancy. Licensing and zoning, yeah, right. I’m sure those departments won’t have an issue with me opening up a store with more than 5,000 firearms inside the doors.

Can we all see how stupid this is. It must stop.

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Steve McGough

Steve's a part-time conservative blogger. Steve grew up in Connecticut and has lived in Washington, D.C. and the Bahamas. He resides in Connecticut, where he’s comfortable six months of the year.

1 Comment

  1. Jay on July 17, 2008 at 2:04 pm

    Why isn't any officials charging fenty with contempt ?

    All these blogs and chat is useless, when are the real lawbreaker ( Fenty ) gonna get arrested and  prosecuted ?

    He is thumbing his nose at the SCOTUS and its decision.

    PUT FENTY IN JAIL.



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