[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6842 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6842

 To require the District of Columbia to revise its laws regarding the 
    use and possession of firearms as necessary to comply with the 
   requirements of the decision of the Supreme Court in the case of 
District of Columbia v. Heller, in a manner that protects the security 
interests of the Federal government and the people who work in, reside 
   in, or visit the District of Columbia and does not undermine the 
 efforts of law enforcement, homeland security, and military officials 
       to protect the Nation's capital from crime and terrorism.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 9, 2008

Ms. Norton (for herself and Mr. Waxman) introduced the following bill; 
 which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the District of Columbia to revise its laws regarding the 
    use and possession of firearms as necessary to comply with the 
   requirements of the decision of the Supreme Court in the case of 
District of Columbia v. Heller, in a manner that protects the security 
interests of the Federal government and the people who work in, reside 
   in, or visit the District of Columbia and does not undermine the 
 efforts of law enforcement, homeland security, and military officials 
       to protect the Nation's capital from crime and terrorism.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Capital Security and Safety 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Washington, DC is both a local self-governing 
        jurisdiction and the seat of the United States government, with 
        unique Federal responsibilities that accompany its role as the 
        Nation's capital.
            (2) The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the 
        District's local police force, with more than 4,000 members, is 
        the only sizeable police force in the National Capital Region.
            (3) In its role as a Federal city, the District of Columbia 
        has always been linked with Federal law enforcement in a 
        partnership to protect the Federal presence, including Federal 
        officials and employees, visiting dignitaries, and other 
        individuals.
            (4) Since the terrorist attacks by a United States citizen 
        on a Federal facility in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and 
        especially since the attacks by foreign terrorists on the 
        National Capital Region on September 11, 2001, the District of 
        Columbia has been considered by Federal law enforcement and 
        security officials to be a likely target for terrorist and 
        domestic attacks on Federal sites and on Federal officials and 
        employees, visiting dignitaries, and other individuals.
            (5) The MPD works continuously with all Federal law 
        enforcement agencies, including 36 different police agencies, 
        to prevent attacks in the Nation's capital.
            (6) Federal and District law enforcement interests work 
        together and communicate daily on many efforts, including 
        providing protective escort services to the President, Vice 
        President, first lady, and presidential candidates as they 
        travel and work throughout the District.
            (7) The President, Vice President, and many cabinet and 
        other Federal officials reside in the District of Columbia.
            (8) MPD teams with Federal officials to provide protective 
        escorts for the more than 40 national and international 
        dignitaries who visit the District of Columbia every month.
            (9) The Nation's capital is required by law to be the 
        headquarters of every cabinet agency of the Federal government 
        and has the largest concentration of Federal employees, a total 
        of 145,000.
            (10) In the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, Congress 
        delegated self-governing powers to the District of Columbia 
        local government but retained authority to protect Federal 
        interests when necessary.
            (11) The District of Columbia government has just begun the 
        process of enacting legislation to allow gun ownership in the 
        District for self-defense in a person's home in compliance with 
        the Supreme Court ruling in the case of District of Columbia 
        vs. Heller.
            (12) Local jurisdictions, including the District of 
        Columbia, enact firearms legislation in keeping with local 
        desires and concerns, but the District of Columbia must take 
        into account that the District also is a Federal city and that 
        such legislation must be consistent with the heightened Federal 
        interest in preventing terrorism and domestic attacks on 
        individuals in the city because of the Federal presence.
            (13) The most frequent attacks on Federal officials in the 
        Nation's capital have been ``lone-wolf'' attacks by individuals 
        with concealable handguns, such as the assassinations of 
        Presidents Abraham Lincoln and James Garfield, the serious 
        attempts on Presidents Ronald Regan and Andrew Jackson, and the 
        July 1998 murder of 2 United States Capitol Police officers in 
        the United States Capitol.
            (14) The most dangerous attacks on individuals in the 
        United States have been committed with handguns, including the 
        recent attack at Virginia Tech University in which 32 people 
        were shot and killed and the attack at Columbine High School in 
        which 12 people were killed.
            (15) The government of the District of Columbia, with the 
        informed advice of MPD, is best suited to carrying out the 
        complicated task of developing local laws that satisfy the 
        Supreme Court's mandate while protecting Federal officials and 
        employees, visiting dignitaries, and other individuals. 
        Congress should allow the District of Columbia the opportunity 
        to enact statutes and promulgate regulations, while preserving 
        the Federal right to intervene under the District of Columbia 
        Home Rule Act if federally protected individuals or the Federal 
        presence are exposed to risk.
            (16) Unregulated firearms in the Nation's capital would 
        preclude the ability of the MPD and, if needed, the Federal 
        government to track guns through registration and otherwise to 
        help ensure that guns do not endanger Federal officials and 
        employees, visiting dignitaries, and other individuals.

SEC. 3. REVISION OF DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA FIREARMS LAWS.

    (a) Requiring District To Revise Laws.--
            (1) Revision.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the District of Columbia shall 
        revise the laws and regulations of the District of Columbia 
        which govern the use and possession of firearms, as necessary 
        to comply with the requirements of the decision of the Supreme 
        Court in the case of District of Columbia v. Heller.
            (2) Conforming amendment to local law.--Title VII of the 
        Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975 (sec. 7-2507.01 et 
        seq., D.C. Official Code) is amended by adding at the end the 
        following new section:

``SEC. 712. CONSISTENCY WITH FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS.

    ``The Mayor and the Council shall ensure that this Act and the 
regulations promulgated to carry out this Act are consistent with the 
requirements of the decision of the Supreme Court in the case of 
District of Columbia v. Heller and the criteria provided under section 
3(b) of the National Capital Security and Safety Act.''.
    (b) Criteria for Revisions.--For purposes of subsection (a)(1) and 
section 712 of the Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975 (as added 
by subsection (a)(2)), the revisions to the laws and regulations of the 
District of Columbia which govern the use and possession of firearms 
shall be based upon the following criteria:
            (1) The need to ensure the safety and security of the 
        Nation's capital so that nothing in the revisions will place at 
        risk the safety and security of Federal buildings or other 
        Federal interests located in the District of Columbia, 
        including the safety and security of Federal employees, or will 
        place at risk the safety and security of the people who reside 
        in or visit the District.
            (2) The need to ensure that nothing in the revisions will 
        interfere with the operations of Federal law enforcement 
        officials (including officials of the Secret Service, the 
        Federal Protective Service of the Department of Homeland 
        Security, the United States Marshals Service and Supreme Court 
        Police, and the United States Capitol Police) and the 
        Metropolitan Police Department and other local law enforcement 
        officials in carrying out their duties to protect those who 
        work in, reside in, or visit the District of Columbia.
            (3) The need to ensure that nothing in the revisions will 
        compromise the ability of local and Federal homeland security 
        and military officials to carry out their duties to protect the 
        Nation's capital from terrorism.
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