WASHINGTON (AP) — District of Columbia officials who want to enforce a strict law that makes it difficult for gun owners to get concealed carry permits ran into another setback Thursday when a federal appeals court said it won’t reconsider a ruling against the law.
In July, a divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that a city law requiring that people to show “good reason to fear injury” or another “proper reason” to carry a concealed weapon infringes on residents’ Second Amendment rights. Reasons to get a concealed carry license might include a personal threat, or a job that requires a person to carry or protect cash or valuables.
D.C. officials had asked the court of appeals to re-hear the case as a full court, but the court declined in a brief order Thursday. The city’s requirement had remained in effect while the appeals court considered a re-hearing.
D.C. Councilmember for Ward 6 Charles Allen, who is the chair of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, said in a statement that he is “very disappointed” and that the decision will make the job of D.C. police “all the more difficulty.”
D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine said in a statement that police can continue to enforce the “good reason” requirement until the appeals court issues what’s called a mandate in about a week. Racine said he’s reviewing options for how to proceed. The city could decide to ask the Supreme Court to hear the case.
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