Norton Gets Early Hearing on Bill to Preempt Federal Take Over of Local Gun Jurisdiction

Press Release

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton's (D-DC) gun bill, aimed at stopping H.R. 6691, a National Rifle Association-written bill, sponsored by Democratic and Republican members of Congress, to deny the District all jurisdiction over local gun laws, will be introduced Tuesday, Sept. 9, at a hearing of the full Committee on Oversight and Government Reform at 10 a.m. in room 2154. Expert witnesses at the hearing will include Chief Cathy L. Lanier, Metropolitan Police Department; Chief Phillip D. Morse Sr., Capitol Police; Deputy Chief Kevin Hay; United States Park Police; and Bob Campbell, Director of Security Washington Nationals, a former Secret Service Agent.

The Norton bill, cosponsored by committee Chairman Henry Waxman, (D-CA) focuses on the danger H.R. 6691 poses to federal and homeland security because firearms in the nation's capital would both be unregulated and unregistered. "The palpable risk that H.R. 6691 poses to the public safety of our residents is deliberately lost on the NRA and the Democratic and Republican sponsors of their bill," Norton said. "But, I doubt that carrying loaded AK47s or .50 caliber sniper assault weapons openly in cars or in person will go down well with federal law enforcement and security officials in this city, where two presidents have been killed with handguns and Presidents Andrew Jackson and Ronald Reagan were shot and seriously injured with handguns. We live in the much more dangerous 9/11 era today. The shooting of 32 people with semi-automatic handguns by a lone gunman just 269 miles from the nation's capital a year and a half ago at Virginia Tech was the worst nightmare of every police officer and security official charged with policing high risk public appearances and events involving national and international dignitaries here." Norton said that today federal law enforcement officers and local city police here find lone gunmen to be a particular danger in a city where public officials must make speeches and attend many public events.

Local jurisdiction, enact firearms legislation, but the District must take into account its role under a federal jurisdiction. Federal officials have never complained about the District's strict gun laws because the presumption that a person with a gun is violating local law also helps to secure federal officials and employees. However, unregulated and unregistered guns alter that presumption to one of legality. Norton said the NRA-inspired bill is not written in good faith because the District has only just begun to write its bill to comply with the Supreme Court decision overturning D.C. gun laws.

"When the city gets stopped before it gets started, no public purpose is served. Members of the House who have signed onto such a bill should ask themselves who indeed is being served by the precedent of preemptive action by Congress against a local jurisdiction. The NRA may be served but Members should try for once to consider how they would react if their local jurisdictions got cut off by Congress before they even got started Norton said."

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