Rubio Tells Miami Herald He Won’t Withdraw or Alter D.C. Gun Bill Despite His New Opposition and Reconsideration of Provisions in D.C. Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today said that Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) has now refused her requests to withdraw his District of Columbia gun bill, which would allow an individual under 21 to purchase assault weapons, such as the AR-15, used by the 19 year old shooter in Parkland, Florida, and high-capacity ammunition magazines, despite his newfound support after the Parkland shooting for raising the age requirement for purchasing a rifle to 21 and his reconsideration of his opposition to a ban on high-capacity magazines. A Rubio spokesperson told the Miami Herald that he would not change the bill: "‘If passed, this bill would bring D.C. into compliance with federal law. If federal law is changed on the purchase age for semi-automatic rifles, then D.C. law would be changed as well.'" Norton said that, despite his recent statement that if federal laws were changed, D.C.'s laws would be changed, too, Rubio has demonstrated he is willing to carve out exemptions to federal law for D.C., such as allowing out-of-state concealed permit holders to carry in D.C. schools, notwithstanding the federal Gun-Free Zones Act. Norton again called on Rubio to withdraw his bill, which would eliminate virtually all of D.C.'s gun safety laws.

"The Miami Herald was doing its job when it asked a logical and relevant question that exposed Senator Rubio's hypocrisy to his own constituents," Norton said. "As we fight to preserve D.C.'s public safety and right to self-government, it is critical that not only D.C. residents, but also a Member's own constituents, are aware of and help push back against interference in another jurisdiction's local affairs. This is especially true of gun laws, when each jurisdiction is evaluating their own profoundly local concerns for the safety of children."

The Rubio bill, which is sponsored in the House by Representative Tom Garrett (R-VA), would wipe out most of D.C.'s local gun safety laws, including its total ban on guns in schools, its bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, as well as its registration and age requirements. A version of the Rubio bill has been introduced for more than a decade, but Norton has kept it from being enacted. Rubio first introduced the bill in 2015, just before announcing his candidacy for president, and, upon filing his bill, the NRA upgraded Rubio's rating from a B-plus to an A.

Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) has introduced a bill that would require D.C. to recognize out-of-state concealed carry permits, regardless of the state's carry requirements. Norton has defeated similar bills for several years.