Pubdate: Thu, 17 Jul 2014
Source: Washington Times (DC)
Copyright: 2014 The Washington Times, LLC.
Contact:  http://www.washingtontimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/492
Author: Ben Nuckols, Associated Press
Page: A12

ASSOCIATED PRESS

HOUSE GOP LOOKS TO UNDO D.C. LAWS ON GUN CONTROL, MARIJUANA

(AP) - If House Republicans have their way, D.C. residents won't be
allowed to walk the streets with a joint in their pocket, and they
will be allowed to carry a semi-automatic rifle.

The GOP-controlled House approved a spending bill Wednesday that would
undo the District's strict gun-control laws and its law
decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana. The fate of
the spending bill and the amendments will likely depend on
negotiations between the House, Senate and White House.

The gun amendment was introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie, Kentucky
Republican. Twenty Democrats joined 221 Republicans in voting for it,
while four GOP lawmakers voted against it.

A 2008 Supreme Court decision struck down the District's longstanding
ban on handgun possession. Residents of the nation's capital must
register handguns every three years, complete a safety course and be
fingerprinted and photographed. The Massie amendment would get rid of
all those, leaving only federal gun-control laws to govern the District.

"It is time for Congress to step in and stop the D.C. government's
harassment and punishment of law-abiding citizens who simply want to
defend themselves," Mr. Massie said in a statement.

Congress has the final say over the District's local laws and
budget.

Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democrat who represents the District
in Congress but cannot vote on the House floor, called the amendment
dangerous and pledged to defeat it.

"Rep. Massie may think D.C. will be one of the most permissive gun
jurisdictions in the country - where you can openly carry assault
weapons in the street and get a gun with no background check - but
he's wrong," Ms. Norton said in a statement.

The marijuana amendment, introduced in committee last month by Rep.
Andy Harris, Maryland Republican, would block the District from
spending any money to liberalize its pot laws.

If enacted, the amendment would put the city in a curious legal
position, according to the White House and drug policy groups. Mayor
Vincent C. Gray signed a bill in March that decriminalizes possession
of less than 1 ounce of pot, replacing criminal penalties for simple
possession with a $25 fine, one of the nation's lowest.

Because Congress did not pass a resolution disapproving of the local
law, it's set to take effect Thursday, and D.C. police are preparing
to start issuing citations and inform the public about the policy
change. Drug policy experts have voiced concern that the amendment's
practical effect would only be to block the District from issuing the
$25 fines.

The White House said in a statement that the marijuana amendment
undermines states' rights and "poses legal challenges to the
Metropolitan Police Department's enforcement of all marijuana laws
currently in force in the District."

Mr. Harris argued that the decriminalization law was bad policy and
would lead more children to smoke marijuana, hurting their brain
development. Activists responded by calling for a boycott of Mr.
Harris' district, which includes popular vacation spots on Maryland's
Eastern Shore.
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