(Washington, DC) - Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, Attorney General Linda Singer and Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier announced today that the District today is filing a petition for certiorari asking the US Supreme Court to review a March 2007 decision of the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit holding that the District’s longstanding ban on private possession of handguns in the District violates the Second Amendment.
“As Mayor, it is my duty to protect the citizens of the District of Columbia. The residents of this city have relied on these handgun laws for 30 years to help keep them safe, and I will continue to work to keep these laws in place for their protection,” Mayor Fenty said.
“Mayor Fenty, Chief Lanier and I will never stop fighting for the safety of the people of the District of Columbia. That is our foremost priority, and our promise,” Attorney General Singer said. “We were thus deeply disappointed earlier this year when the federal court of appeals declared that the District’s handgun ban violates the Second Amendment. Today we are asking the United States Supreme Court to review that decision, which we think threatens public safety and is wrong on the law.”
“I see the results of gun violence every day. The weakening of the District’s gun law will inevitably lead to an increase in injury, and worse, death. As Chief of the Police, I stand firmly behind Mayor Fenty and Attorney General Singer in appealing this case, and hope that the Supreme Court will recognize the impact of the lower court’s ruling and review the decision. This is more than just a legal matter. It is a decision that impacts the safety and wellbeing of our residents,” Chief Lanier said.
The case being appealed is called District of Columbia v. Heller; it previously was known as Parker v. District of Columbia.
Select the link below to view the DC v. Heller Cert petition: