By Lee Davidson
Deseret Morning News
WASHINGTON — Sen. Orrin Hatch says residents of Washington, D.C., should be able to pack heat legally — and has introduced legislation seeking to overturn a longtime gun ban placed by its city council.
Hatch — who twice, after death threats, had himself declared a special deputy U.S. marshal so he could carry a gun legally despite Washington's ban — introduced Tuesday what he calls the "District of Columbia Personal Protection Act."
"It is time to restore the rights of law-abiding citizens to protect themselves and to defend their families against murderous predators," Hatch, R-Utah, told the Senate.
"It is time to tell the citizens of the District of Columbia that the Second Amendment of the Constitution (guaranteeing a right to bear arms) applies to them, and not only to their fellow Americans in the rest of the country," he said.
Hatch added, "The prohibition of firearms in the District of Columbia is as ineffective and deplorable as it is unconstitutional. It is high time we rectify this wrong."
Washington has the highest murder rate in the nation, despite also having the strictest gun laws. However, nearby Maryland and Virginia have no such gun bans.
"I want to dispel unfounded myths that the way you reduce violent, gun-related crime is by prohibiting the possession of firearms," Hatch said. "I have said it before, but I will say it again, excessive regulation and the systematic erosion of the rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment do not deter violent, gun-toting criminals." |
