D.C. Passes New Handgun Regulations

The Council of the District of Columbia has given its unanimous approval to new regulations on the possession of handguns in homes. The new legislation comes less than a month after a D.C. ban on handguns was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court as part of a landmark ruling on the scope of the Second Amendment.

According to the Washington Post, under the new regulations handguns must be unloaded, disassembled or trigger-locked while in the home (except where a “threat of immediate harm to a person” exists), gun owners must undergo written and eye exams, and police officers will be allowed to conduct ballistics tests on the weapons to make sure they have not been used in the commission of a crime. The new regulations also continue the district’s ongoing ban on semi-automatic handguns. The Associated Press reports that some D.C.'s new handgun regulations will likely be challenged in court.

• D.C. Gun Ban is Out, But Regulations Stay (Washington Post)
• D.C. Handgun Ban: Complete Coverage (Washington Post)
• DC Approves New Gun Laws Prompted by Court Ruling (Associated Press)
• Supreme Court Upholds Gun Rights (FindLaw's Common Law Blog 6/26/08)
• The Second Amendment - Annotated (FindLaw)