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For The Third Time D.C. Gun Laws Are Struck Down

In a 2-1 ruling, a federal appeals court struck down parts of a gun control law in Washington, D.C. as unconstitutional.

The three-member U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the city cannot stop gun owners from registering more than one pistol per month, nor can it require gun owners to re-register a gun every three years. The court also squashed requirements that gun owners make a gun available for inspection and pass a test about firearms laws.

Overall, the court upheld six gun laws, including one that requires gun owners to register long guns, and struck down four others.

The ruling was brought in a lawsuit by Dick Heller, the same man who challenged the District’s 32-year-old handgun ban in 2008 and won, allowing handgun possession for self-defense in the home.

Judge Douglas Ginsburg (an appointee of President Reagan) wrote for the appeals court majority, and was joined in his opinion by President Obama appointee Patricia Millet.

Judge Karen LeGraft Henderson, named to the court by President George H. W. Bush, dissented in part.

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said she was not surprised by the decision because, “Our gun laws have been under attack for many years. We obviously disagree,” with the court’s decision.

The District of Columbia is known for having some of the most oppressive people control laws in the country.