In Wake of Mass Shooting, Norton and Fenty Prepared to Legalize Assault Weapons in D.C.

WASHINGTON, April 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV) and Reaching Out to Others Together (ROOT) are deeply disturbed by Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton's announcement that she is prepared to accept a D.C. voting rights bill with an amendment that would eradicate the city's gun laws.

The "D.C. House Voting Rights Act," which would grant the District of Columbia a single voting Member in the House of Representatives and give Utah an additional seat, passed the Senate in February 2009 with the "Ensign Amendment" attached. The amendment, sponsored by Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) -- who has since been the subject of scandal -- would legalize assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines; repeal the District's licensing and registration system; allow some convicted substance abusers and violent misdemeanants to purchase and own firearms; roll back important regulations curbing illegal gun trafficking; and prevent the D.C. Council from enacting any gun-related legislation in the future.

The bill has been held up in the House since that time, as Democratic leaders in the chamber lack the votes to pass clean legislation without a gun amendment attached.  Delegate Norton has now indicated she wants to move forward with the legislation anyway, despite her previous assertion that, "The only thing that would cause more murder and mayhem in this city is allowing freer access to guns."  

"It is unfathomable that Delegate Norton would move forward with a bill that would legalize assault weapons in the wake of the recent mass shooting in the District involving an AK-47," said ROOT CEO Kenny Barnes, who was the recipient of the 2009 Department of Justice's National Crime Victim Service Award.  "As we begin observing National Crime Victims' Rights Week, the message that her actions send to the families of the children lost in that shooting -- and to all those who have been victimized by gun violence -- is that their safety is nothing more than a bargaining chip."

Mayor Adrian Fenty recently told NewsChannel 8 that he is ready to accept this Faustian Bargain, despite past statements of support for tough federal regulations to curb illegal firearms trafficking.

"Apparently Mayor Fenty was just paying lip service to the idea of denying guns to criminals," said CSGV Executive Director Josh Horwitz.  "The Ensign Amendment would completely dismantle current law enforcement efforts to keep firepower off the streets.  Any mayor that would give the up the ability to protect his citizens from crime and violence does not deserve the office."

The willingness of Delegate Norton and Mayor Fenty to accept a gun amendment has split the home rule movement.  Ilir Zherka, the executive director of the advocacy group DC Vote, has indicated he supports Norton's strategy, despite his organization's stated mission of "securing full voting representation in Congress and full democracy for the residents of the District of Columbia."  Several of the groups that are part of the DC Vote Coalition stepped away from a meeting with Norton on Thursday afternoon in disbelief.

"You can't secure democracy by allowing the National Rifle Association to write gun policy in place of our elected officials," said Mike Beard, the President of CSGV and former Executive Director of Self-Determination for D.C., a national coalition that was instrumental in enacting the "District of Columbia Home Rule Act."  "That's the antithesis of self-determination."

The District of Columbia's gun laws, which were revised following the Supreme Court's decision in District of Columbia v. Heller, were recently declared constitutional by a federal judge in Washington.  Judge Richard M. Urbina, ruling in the case of Heller, et al., v. District of Columbia, found D.C.'s "rigorous" laws to be "justified…because the District is a densely populated, urban locale, but also because 'as the nation's capital it hosts a large presence of government and diplomatic officials.'"  Moreover, the court specifically found that "assault weapons and large capacity ammunition feeding devices fall outside the scope of the core Second Amendment right."

"The most solemn duty of elected officials is the maintenance of public safety," said Horwitz.  "It's time for Delegate Norton and Mayor Fenty to place the well-being of their constituents above the limited gains they would accrue from a flawed voting rights bill."

Concerned D.C. residents can contact Delegate Norton at (202) 225-8050 and Mayor Fenty at [email protected].

Media Contacts:

Ladd Everitt, CSGV, (202) 701-7171, [email protected]

Kenny Barnes, ROOT, (202) 431-6646, [email protected]

SOURCE Coalition to Stop Gun Violence