District of Columbia Personal Protection Act

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PERSONAL PROTECTION ACT -- (House of Representatives - September 29, 2004)

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Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to join today with my colleague, the gentlewoman from the neighboring congressional district, the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton), in opposing this bill.

The District of Columbia's gun laws have already been upheld by the Federal courts as constitutional, so the second amendment argument in this context is just a bogus one.

This bill represents the height of arrogance. Members of this body have got to stop treating the District of Columbia and the people of the District of Columbia as their personal playground where they impose their will on people who did not elect them. The people of the District of Columbia elected the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton). They elected the Mayor. They elected the D.C. Council. They elected the people who put these laws into effect.

This legislation is nothing more than a contemptible effort to placate certain special interests at the expense of the people of the District of Columbia.

We talk about a world upside down. The House leadership have prohibited this body from taking a vote on extending the ban on military-style assault weapons; and at the same time today we rush through a bill put at the top of the schedule to impose our will against the wishes of the people of the District of Columbia.

Mr. Speaker, I will insert for the RECORD a letter from the representatives of the business community of Washington, D.C., the Washington Board of Trade, opposing this legislation at this time.

September 20, 2004.
Hon. J. DENNIS HASTERT,
Speaker, House of Representatives.
Hon. TOM DELAY,
Majority Leader, House of Representatives.

DEAR SPEAKER HASTERT AND MAJORITY LEADER DELAY: As the unified voice of business in Washington, DC, we are deeply troubled by efforts within the House Republican caucus to repeal the gun safety laws that exist for the protection of the families, workers and tourists of the District of Columbia.

If passed by Congress into law, The District of Columbia Personal Protection Act (H.R. 3193) would eliminate the ban on handguns in the District of Columbia, eliminate the ban on semiautomatic weapons, eliminate criminal penalties for possession of unregistered firearms and even eliminate registration requirements for ammunition and other firearms. The rollback of these fundamental public safety laws would have a significant, negative effect on the District's business climate, and could undermine the foundations of our city's economy and quality of life.

The leaders of this city are working hard every day to sustain the progress of recent years by making this an even more attractive destination for tourism, redevelopment and relocation. We have had to overcome the lingering perception that D.C. neighborhoods are especially unsafe, and that our city is uniquely susceptible to terrorist attack in the aftermath of 9/11.

To those ends, we have been very successful. Last year, more than six million people visited Downtown Washington. Large, international retailers have returned to the District, making this a regional shopping destination once again. The District's restaurant scene has never been more vibrant, as nearly 30 restaurants have opened in the downtown area since 1999 alone, while the District's hotel market has nearly returned to its pre-9/11 performance. Finally, the performance of our city's office market is the best in the nation-at this time, we are the only major downtown market in the United States with a vacancy rate under ten percent.

However, much of our progress could be undone by passage of this bill into law. This would fuel the harmful perception that the District is a haven for weapons that have no place in our society, and that visitors, employers and new residents should come here at their own risk. Given the continued efforts of the business community to sustain our economic recovery, and the extraordinary steps of our state and local governments to safeguard against terrorist attack, the District of Columbia Personal Protection Act is the last thing our city needs right now. We intend to pursue vigorous efforts to see this bill defeated, and we hope that you will not allow this bill to reach the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote.

Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Robert A. Peck, President, Greater Washington Board of Trade.

Robert A. Malson, President, District of Columbia Hospital Association.

John Childers, President and CEO, Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area.

Barbara R. Lang, President and CEO, DC Chamber of Commerce.

William A. Hanbury, President and CEO, Washington, DC Convention and Tourism Corporation.

Lynne Breaux, Executive Director, Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington.

Reba Pittman Walker, President, Hotel Association of Washington, DC.