Washington will drop its appeal of a federal court ruling last July, that announced that a ban on carrying guns in the city was unconstitutional.
DC Attorney General Karl A. Racine announced on Wednesday that the city will focus on defending its new law to regulate weapons.
The permitting scheme to allow citizens to own guns in D.C. were criticized as too restrictive.
© Flickr / KP Tripathi
“We need to focus our energies not on litigating old laws, but defending new ones that our leaders enacted in good faith to comply with court rulings while still protecting public safety,” Mr. Racine said.
According to the new laws, before gun owners can apply for permits, the mayor has to sign the bill, and the DC police department has to issue regulations to set up a licensing framework.
Before US District Court Judge Frederick J. Scullin’s ruling against the ban, DC residents could only legally possess registered firearms in their homes. The Palmer v. District of Columbia ruling led to a permitting scheme that allows gun owners to apply for concealed carry licenses.
The licenses were criticized as too restrictive, as it requires citizens seeking to exercise their right to bear arms, to provide a “good reason” to carry a firearm for protection.
Scullin has been asked to review the city’s concealed carry permitting scheme to determine whether it complies with his order.
Gun owners who were denied concealed carry licenses have also filed a lawsuit against the city.
