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September 29, 2004—U.S. Representative Trent Franks voted for H.R. 3193, the District of Columbia Personal Protection Act. The bill passed the House by a vote of 250 to 171 (with one Member voting “present”). The House plan would allow honest citizens of the District of Columbia to own rifles, shotguns, and handguns, without the current registration requirements. The plan would not affect any law directed at true criminal conduct, and would leave in place strict penalties for gun possession by criminals and for violent crime committed with guns.
“Our Founding Fathers deliberately guaranteed America’s law-abiding citizens the right to own and bear arms,” Franks said. “It was time to restore this constitutional right to the residents of our nation’s capital.”
According to U.S. Justice Department figures, Washington, D.C. has been the “murder capital of the country” for 14 of the last 15 years. Currently, the D.C. homicide rate is nearly five times greater than the national average. This escalating murder rate began only after the D.C. Council deprived law-abiding citizens of the right to defend themselves and their families by effectively banning handguns and other firearms in 1976.
“Criminals have always preferred unarmed victims. Prison surveys indicate when a criminal considers breaking into a home, the greatest deterrent is the fear that his or her intended victims might be armed. The passing of this legislation is the first step toward giving families in the District of Columbia the power to protect their homes, their neighbors, and their children.” |
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