The Second Amendment is for ALL Americans

Press Release

Congressman Mike Simpson is a cosponsor of H.R. 1399, the District of Columbia Personal Protection Act that lifts the ban on guns in the District of Columbia.

"The Bill of Rights is for all Americans, including those who live in our Nation's Capitol," said Simpson. "Once again, we will try to restore the Second Amendment Right to citizens who reside in the District of Columbia."

On March 9, 2007, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the District of Columbia's ban on guns in the home is unconstitutional, violating the individual rights protected by the Second Amendment. The D.C. law is one of the most draconian gun bans in the United States. The majority opinion states: "The phrase ‘the right of the people'…leads us to conclude that the right in question is individual."

Since 1977, the District has banned the possession of all handguns not acquired and registered before that year. The law also prohibits keeping an assembled rifle or shotgun in the home.

"Contrary to the claims of gun control advocates, gun ownership is not the source of our gun-related crime problem. Washington, D.C., consistently has one of the highest murder rates in the nation," said Simpson.

This legislation is not new to Congress, the House of Representatives has voted on this issue four different times over the past eight years, but the Senate has yet to consider it. H.R. 1399 currently has 235 cosponsors in the House and 41 cosponsors in the Senate version.

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