Norton Says Saturday's Court Decision Leaves District with Authority to Regulate Carrying of Guns, Not an Invitation for Congress to Intervene

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) released the following statement today in response to U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Scullin's ruling to strike down the District of Columbia's ban on carrying a handgun outside of the home:

"A New York federal district court senior judge, sitting here by designation, ruled on Saturday that the District of Columbia's total ban on carrying a handgun outside the home is unconstitutional. It is important to note that the decision was limited to the carrying of a handgun, and gave the District the authority to regulate such carrying. I expect the District to appeal this decision, and I caution that the decision issued Saturday is only a district court decision. Moreover, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has upheld the constitutionality of three of the District's four major gun laws – the ban on assault weapons, the ban on large capacity ammunition feeding devices, and basic registration requirements for handguns. The appeals court remanded the District's other registration requirements for further fact-finding, which were subsequently upheld by the district court this May, except one – vision requirements – for which the court found no standing to challenge.

"Saturday's decision goes beyond the Supreme Court's Heller decision, which was limited to possessing a ready-to-use handgun in the home. The Supreme Court has not ruled on any gun matter except the right to possess a handgun in the home. Saturday's decision is not an invitation for intervention by Members of Congress who have no responsibility for public safety in the District of Columbia. It is a call for clarification by the federal courts."