Well, I wasn't expecting D.C. government to obey the Constitution anymore than actually required. The July 14, 2008 Washington Post reports on the new handgun regulations:
Gun owners will have to pass vision and written tests, provide a photo with their application to register a gun, and submit their weapon for ballistics testing. Guns will also still require trigger locks.Am I happy with these regulations? No, not particularly. Are they better than what we had before? Absolutely. I can see the point of the vision regulation, and depending on the nature of the written test, I suppose that it can be defended. But can you imagine what the ACLU's reaction would be if D.C. required a grammar test and an exam about libel law as a condition of owning a photocopier?
Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) and interim Attorney General Peter J. Nickles announced the regulations alongside D.C. Council Chairman Vincent G. Gray (D), Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) and several other council members.
The regulations are an effort to maintain some gun control while complying with the Supreme Court's 5 to 4 ruling last month.
"We think we have struck the delicate legal balance," Fenty said. "While we will have lawsuits, we think we stand on solid legal ground."
In a news release announcing the restrictions, Fenty said: "We continue to take every step we can to minimize handgun violence in the District. We must prevent handguns from falling into the wrong hands or being misused."
...
The District's police department is prepared to begin the registration process for people as soon as the emergency legislation is passed.
Officials also said for the first 90 days, individuals will be limited to one gun a person.
Those who already own a gun will have a six-month amnesty period to register their weapon but will have to follow the same process as a new gun owner, city officials said.
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