Handguns are for the most-part illegal in DC. Anti-gun city officials claim that they want to keep lawful residents from being allowed to have guns because the city is already awash in illegal weapons. this latest news story seems to confirm that claim:
D.C. gun seizures up in 2008: The Metropolitan Police Department has seized 200 more guns through mid-September this year than it did during the same period in 2007, despite the U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down the District’s handgun ban and pressure from Congress to lift gun ownership restrictions. It is unclear what types of firearms are being removed from the streets, but through Tuesday the MPD had recovered 1,856 guns — 117 in September alone. Between Jan. 1 and Sept. 19, 2007, police had recovered 1,634 firearms, only 100 in September. - DC Examiner
Of course, gun confiscations will not go up simply because DC's laws change to permit private ownership of handguns. Those gun owners are not the problem. After all, there is no other city in the US that has gun confiscation numbers like this, or has as high a crime rate and liberal gun ownership rules. (No, I did not do a study. this is just my opinion. Feel free to suggest a city with legal gun ownership and a worse crime problem in the comments if you can think of one.)
I am not sure what the jail time is for being convicted of having an illegal gun in DC, or using a gun in a crime in DC, but looking at these high numbers of how many guns they are collecting off the streets, clearly the jail time is not enough. Want the crime rate to go down in DC? Banning legal gun ownership is not the way to do it. Throwing criminals in jail and keeping them there is.
Link:
Man in Attempted DC Mugging Pulls Concealed Handgun in Defense - 18 Sept 08
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