When I was with the Agency, I would often end up in Washington, DC for work-related matters. I always had a gun on my hip when in DC, but it was my Agency gun, which I was legally allowed to carry there.
I was grateful to have a gun on my hip since DC is a dangerous place and always has one of the highest murder rates in the nation. (The murder rate in DC doubled for the first six months of 2014.)
Since I no longer work for the Agency and can’t legally carry concealed in DC anymore, I was obviously happy to hear that a Federal judge just overturned DC’s gun ban.
In short, Washington, DC was the last place in the nation to prohibit any type of concealed carry. In states like Maryland and California it’s tough to get a carry permit but they still allow it and have laws for it on the books. Whereas DC simply said it wasn’t allowed and that was it.
Since the new ruling has come down, DC Police Chief Cathy Lanier sent out a notice to her department not to arrest people who are carrying and that as long as a person has a valid permit they should be left alone.
Of course, the attorney general for DC vowed to appeal the ruling and it will likely end up in the Supreme Court. But the good news is, if it does end up in the Supreme Court the ruling will probably stay in place, and DC will have to allow people to carry concealed. (I image they’ll enact tough requirements as California, Maryland and other states have, but at least there will no longer be a complete ban.)
Although it’s amazing that in the year 2014 we still had places that banned law-abiding citizens from carrying firearms, it’s a good win for the freedom of our country and for people’s right to protect themselves. Plus, next year, if the law stays in effect then we’ll likely see the crime rate in DC go down because criminals will realize they can no longer count on easy victims that aren’t armed.
Also, if you happen to live in Northern Virginia (where I was born and raised) you no longer have to fear accidentally taking a wrong turn and ending up in DC with your gun on you, and visitors from all across the country can now visit DC and be more protected and not have to worry about driving through some dangerous areas unarmed.
Hopefully one day more people will realize that honest people with guns are what keep us all free and safe and that it’s the best way to stop dishonest/evil people who have any type of weapon when all other attempts at stopping them have failed.
