Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I rise today and join 43 of my Democratic
colleagues to voice my support for H.R. 3193, a bill that would allow citizens
of the District of Columbia to own rifles, shotguns and handguns.
The second amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America
specifically grants all Americans the right to bear arms in order to protect
themselves and their families. Under this bill, Washington, D.C. citizens
would simply have the same self-defense rights as residents of the 50 States
of America do.
In a New York Sun editorial printed on Thursday, September 23 of this
year, a D.C. resident expressed his concerns on not being able to legally
protect his home from intruders. He stated, ``The fact is, if you have
an intruder come to your home, there is nothing you can do to protect yourself
except wait for the police.'' This Washington, D.C. resident went on to
describe an incident where he stared and waited as a man was attempting
to break into his home.
This is absolutely inexcusable. No one, no one, should be forced to
sit and wait while witnessing an intrusion upon their home, upon their
family, possibly putting themselves and their family in danger.
Mr. Speaker, I stay in Washington, D.C. 3 or 4 nights most weeks, and
I truly believe the police do a fine job in this city. But if someone were
to break into my apartment, I would have to wait for them to
arrive before any action to be taken.
If I were to have a gun, if I were to have gone through all the red
tape, which includes taking an exam and paying money for fees and a license
to have a shotgun in my home, I would have to take the time to
assemble or unlock and load my gun. By that time, it could be too late
to defend myself. No intruder is going to stand around and wait for me
to assemble or unlock and load my gun, and they certainly are not
going to wait for the police to arrive before completing the job they
came to do.
Mr. Speaker, this is not just a matter of personal protection, it is
a matter of constitutional freedom. The second amendment is a right bestowed
upon us by our Founding Fathers. It is a right I have exercised my entire
life in my home State of Arkansas.
Current Washington, D.C. law requires all guns to be registered with
the Metropolitan Police Department. All handguns are banned unless they
were registered before the gun ban was enacted, but, even so, Washington,
D.C. citizens are prohibited from carrying their handguns in their homes,
even those legal handgun owners. Rifles and shotguns can be legally registered
and owned, but they must be stored unloaded and disassembled or locked.
The District of Columbia has some of the most restrictive gun laws in
the Nation, but at the same time, the District has one of the highest murder
rates in the United States of America. Prior to the enactment of the gun
ban, homicide had been declining in Washington, D.C. but increased after
the ban was imposed back in 1976. In 2002, the D.C. homicide rate was almost
double the rate when the handgun ban took effect, and was five times higher
than the national average.
H.R. 3193 simply allows law-abiding citizens to possess a firearm without
going through the registration requirements and they would not suffer criminal
penalties for such possession. This bill permits storage of armed firearms
in one's home or place of business and repeals the ban on the possession
of ammunition, allowing citizens to protect their home and family in times
of danger within Washington, D.C., as families can do in all 50 States
across America.
H.R. 3193 would not affect any law directed at true criminal conduct.
This bill leaves in place strict penalties for gun possession by criminals
and for those who commit a violent crime with a gun.
Any criminal interested in obtaining a gun for harm against another
can easily do so right now. This bill simply ensures that law-abiding citizens
of the District of Columbia are able to protect themselves by
legally owning a firearm, just as the citizens of the 50 States of
America can do.
Mr. Speaker, this is a piece of commonsense legislation, and I urge
my colleagues to join the 44 Democratic cosponsors of this legislation
and vote in favor of the bill. |