[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 153 (Thursday, September 25, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1968]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                NATIONAL CAPITAL SECURITY AND SAFETY ACT

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                               speech of

                         HON. DENNIS A. CARDOZA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 17, 2008

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (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.

  Mr. CARDOZA. Mr. Chairman, I rise in full support of the recent 
passage of the amended version of H.R. 6842, the National Capitol 
Security and Safety Act. This legislation will finally bring the 
District of Columbia into compliance with the Second Amendment rights 
guaranteed by the United States Constitution.
  On June 26, 2008, the United States Supreme Court correctly struck 
down a 32-year-old ban on handgun possession and ownership in the 
District of Columbia in District of Columbia v. Heller. This handgun 
ban required that all firearms within the city boundaries be 
registered, all owners be licensed, and prohibited the registration of 
handguns after September 24, 1976, making it one of the strictest in 
the country.
  The District Council responded to the Heller decision with a 
temporary, emergency law that made some advances in returning gun 
rights to District residents but, unfortunately, retained a number of 
discriminatory obstacles to handgun possession. H.R. 6842, as amended, 
will revise the District of Columbia code to remove these unnecessary 
and unconstitutional hurdles to gun ownership. Among other things, the 
legislation will amend the registration requirements so that they do 
not apply to handguns, remove arbitrary limits on ammunition and repeal 
some criminal penalties for carrying unlicensed handguns. In total, 
H.R. 6842 will allow residents of the District to finally exercise 
their right to bear arms in a responsible manner, without unnecessary 
government regulation.
  Throughout my tenure in Congress, I have consistently co-sponsored 
legislation to end the DC handgun ban and to expand and preserve Second 
Amendment rights within the District. While I certainly appreciate the 
desire to consider rates of violent crime when crafting gun control 
legislation, our country is based on the premise that enforcement of 
our fundamental rights cannot be haphazard. Those rights, especially 
those clearly enumerated in the Bill of Rights, must not be dismissed 
or diluted.
  As a hunter and lifelong gun rights advocate, I applaud the passage 
of the amended version of H.R. 6842 and I look forward to Senate action 
on this measure.

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