WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 (UPI) —
Washington residents would have to show a need to carry a concealed weapon under a proposed rewrite of the city’s strict gun laws to meet a judge’s order.
Mayor Vincent Gray and City Council President Philip Mendelson announced the legislation Wednesday. The council is expected to vote on the issue next week.
Gray also talked about gun control at a ceremony Wednesday at the Washington Navy Yard to mark the first anniversary of a mass shooting that left 12 people dead. He said it is as true now as it was a year ago that the United States is "drowning in a sea of guns."
"Senseless gun violence like this is an all-too fact of life here in the District of Columbia and in the nation’s big cities. But it’s a fact of life that we need to stop accepting."
U.S. District Judge Frederick Scullion Jr. ruled in July that Washington’s ban on the carrying of concealed weapons violates the Second Amendment. He gave the city 90 days to change its laws.
Under the proposed change, owners of registered guns could apply for concealed carry permits, demonstrating a need to do so. Concealed weapons would be banned from schools, hospitals, public transportation and bars, and are also not allowed in most federal facilities.
Police would also be able to establish temporary no-carry zones of 1,000 feet when the president or other top officials are on the move. Open carrying of firearms would remain banned.
Mendelson said the permit system would allow police to keep guns out of the hands of people who are mentally ill and others not "suitable" to carry them.
"We cannot eliminate guns," Mendelson said. "We can eliminate the risk that the person will misuse the gun."
The city has asked Scullion to reconsider his ruling. He scheduled a hearing in October.
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