In a strong bipartisan effort, House Democrats and Republicans recently joined forces to introduce H.R. 6691, the “Second Amendment Enforcement Act.”  This critical NRA-backed legislation would overturn Washington, D.C.’s newly enacted “emergency gun control laws,” which continue to defy the U.S. Supreme Court’s unambiguous decision in District of Columbia v. Heller by continuing to restrict D.C. residents’ right to self-defense.

On June 26, the U. S. Supreme Court held in District of Columbia v. Heller that “the District’s ban on handgun possession in the home violates the Second Amendment, as does its prohibition against rendering any lawful firearm in the home operable for the purpose of immediate self-defense.” 

The “Second Amendment Enforcement Act” will:

• Repeal the District’s ban on semi-automatic handguns.  Semi-automatic pistols have been the most commonly purchased handguns in the United States over the last 20 years.  A ban on those firearms is unconstitutional per the Heller decision;

• Restore the right of self-defense by repealing the requirement that firearms be disassembled or secured with a trigger lock in the home;

• Reform the current D.C. registration system that requires multiple visits to police headquarters; ballistics testing; passing a written test on D.C. gun laws; fingerprinting; and limiting registration to one handgun per 90 days.  The current system is unduly burdensome and serves as a vehicle for even more onerous restrictions; and

• Create a limited exemption to the federal ban on interstate handgun sales by allowing D.C. residents to purchase handguns in Virginia and Maryland.  Currently there are no firearms dealers in the District of Columbia, and the federal ban prohibits residents from purchasing handguns outside of the District; therefore, District residents have no means of purchasing handguns.

In other words, if H.R. 6691 is passed and enacted into law, law-abiding residents of D.C. would be able to:  purchase a pistol or revolver from a gun dealer in Maryland or Virginia; not be required to register it with the city government; store it loaded, assembled, and without a triggerlock in the home; and use it for defense of self and family.

H.R. 6691 currently has 116 cosponsors, but we need more!  The bill is expected to be considered on the House floor next week, so please be sure to contact your U.S. Representative -- AS SOON AS POSSIBLE -- at (202) 225-3121, and urge him or her to cosponsor and support H.R. 6691 (“Second Amendment Enforcement Act”).