Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975 was passed by the District of Columbia city council on June 26, 1976.[1] The law banned residents from owning handguns, automatic firearms, and high-capacity semi-automatic firearms, as well as prohibited possession of unregistered firearms. Exceptions to the ban were allowed for police officers and guns registered before 1976. The law also required firearms kept in the home to be "unloaded, disassembled, or bound by a trigger lock or similar device"[2], thus amounting to a prohibition on the use of firearms for self-defense in the home.[3]

Portions of this law were struck down by United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in the case District of Columbia v. Parker. This ruling has been stayed pending appeal with the United States Supreme Court.

[edit] Constitutionality

Washington, D.C.'s gun laws are considered by many to be the strictest in the United States, and have been challenged as infringing on constitutional rights protected by the United States Constitution's Second Amendment.[4][5] [6][7] On March 9, 2007, portions of the law were declared unconstitutional by a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 ruling in the case District of Columbia v. Heller.[8] The District subsequently applied for a rehearing en banc, which was denied, and appealed the decision to the Supreme Court of the United States. The case is now pending before the Supreme Court.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Government Reform to Review D.C. s Handgun Ban. Congressman Tom Davis.
  2. ^ The Case For Reforming The District of Columbia's Gun Laws. National Rifle Association.
  3. ^ Senior Circuit Judge Silberman (2007-03-09). Case No. 04-7041, Parker v. D.C. (pdf) 58. United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Retrieved on 2008-02-12. “Section 7-2507.02, like the bar on carrying a pistol within the home, amounts to a complete prohibition on the lawful use of handguns for self-defense.”
  4. ^ Kates, Jr. Don B. (1983). "Handgun Prohibition and the Original Meaning of the Second Amendment". Michigan Law Review 204. 
  5. ^ Reynolds, Glenn Harlan (1995). "A Critical Guide to the Second Amendment". Tennessee Law Review 461. 
  6. ^ Hirschman, Albert O. (1991). The Rhetoric of Reaction: Perversity, Futility, Jeopardy. 
  7. ^ Polsby, Daniel P.. "The False Promise of Gun Control", Atlantic Monthly, March 1994. 
  8. ^ Miller, Bill and Robert Barnes. "Appeals Court Guts D.C. Gun Ban", The Washington Post, March 9, 2007.