Rep. Souder on DC Gun Rght Bill

Rep. Souder, who introduced a bill to curtail DC's resistance to Heller, has a letter to the editor in today's Washington Post.

Last month, the Supreme Court affirmed that Americans have an individual right under the Second Amendment to keep and bear arms.

Just as with the First Amendment, it matters not a whit whether we reside in the state of Indiana or the District of Columbia. We are protected by the same Bill of Rights.

Sadly, since the announcement of the Heller decision, we have seen the D.C. Council continue to thumb its nose at the Constitution and defy a clear Supreme Court order by largely maintaining its draconian handgun ban.

Moreover, when Congress chose to delegate home rule to the District in the 1970s, it specified that legislation enacted by the District must be "consistent with the Constitution of the United States," and it "reserve[d] the right, at any time, to exercise its constitutional authority as legislature for the District, by enacting legislation for the District on any subject."

The time is now for Congress to step in to protect the rights of law-abiding Americans.