September 29, 2004
D.C. Personal Protection Act
One-Minute Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise today because I want to express my support for the D.C. Personal Protection Act, which would restore the 2nd Amendment rights for the residents of D.C. This legislation will allow law-abiding citizens the right to own rifles, shotguns and handguns and permit the storage of firearms in their homes. The District of Columbia yet again, has been labeled the “Murder Capital of America,” despite its current ban on guns. It is time we lift this ineffective law and bring back the constitutional rights of the individuals who reside in our nation's capitol.

Under current law, even legal handgun owners cannot carry them in their own home or use a legal firearm to protect their own life or property . In 2002, while this gun ban had been in effect for 25 years, Washington’s homicide rate was five times higher than the national average. This ban is not working.

The D.C. Personal Protection Act would eliminate criminal penalties for legal possession of firearms and repeal the ban on the possession of ammunition. If enacted, this legislation will simply afford residents of Washington the same self-defense rights as the rest of the country.

Liberal policymakers, mostly from the northeast, have taken aim on our personal freedoms and our individual rights. Their D.C. gun ban has resulted in our nation’s capital being labeled the “Murder Capital” for 14 out of 15 years. Congress must take action against liberal, Washington policymakers and give 2nd Amendment rights back to the residents of D.C.