Effectiveness of D.C. gun ban still a mystery

[nhboy]

"WASHINGTON - Three decades ago, at the dawn of municipal self-government in the District of Columbia, the city's first elected mayor and council enacted one of the country's toughest gun-control measures, a ban on handgun ownership that opponents have long said violates the Second Amendment.

All these years later, with the constitutionality of the ban now probably headed for a US Supreme Court review, a much-debated practical question remains unsettled: Has a law aimed at reducing the number of handguns in the District made city streets safer?

Although studies through the decades have reached conflicting conclusions, this much is clear: The ban, passed with strong public support in 1976, has not accomplished everything the mayor and council of that era wanted it to."

Effectiveness of D.C. gun ban still a mystery - The Boston Globe

 

[LordStanley]

"WASHINGTON - Three decades ago, at the dawn of municipal self-government in the District of Columbia, the city's first elected mayor and council enacted one of the country's toughest gun-control measures, a ban on handgun ownership that opponents have long said violates the Second Amendment.

All these years later, with the constitutionality of the ban now probably headed for a US Supreme Court review, a much-debated practical question remains unsettled: Has a law aimed at reducing the number of handguns in the District made city streets safer?

Although studies through the decades have reached conflicting conclusions, this much is clear: The ban, passed with strong public support in 1976, has not accomplished everything the mayor and council of that era wanted it to."

Effectiveness of D.C. gun ban still a mystery - The Boston Globe

Its not a mystery. Its a well known fact that criminals dont care or follow the laws.... Its just the retards that put this ban into affect dont want to admit it. Same retards that passed the assault weapons ban. Which had no effect either!!!

 

[2ndAmendment]

Same kind of "feel good do nothing law" legislators that made it illegal for Maryland citizens to purchase and wear bulletproof vests. Like a criminal won't wear one.

Heck. Every 7-11 clerk should wear one.

 

[Larry Gude]

This is...

The advent of the crack market and the unprecedented street violence it unleashed nationwide sent homicide rates soaring in the latter half of the 1980s. Not only did the number of killings surge in the District, the homicide rates here also far exceeded the rates in crack-ridden cities where handguns had not been banned.

...a mystery?

 

[aps45819]

Has a law aimed at reducing the number of handguns in the District made city streets safer?

What mystery?
There ARE guns on DC's streets. The ban failed to remove guns.
They are in the hands of criminals and the power elite. Average law abiding Joe is the ONLY one that doesn't have a gun.

 

[AndyMarquisLIVE]

What mystery?
There ARE guns on DC's streets. The ban failed to remove guns.
They are in the hands of criminals and the power elite. Average law abiding Joe is the ONLY one that doesn't have a gun.

And to add on, more innocent civilians are being shot by gun totin' gangbangers.

 

[Novus Collectus]

Same kind of "feel good do nothing law" legislators that made it illegal for Maryland citizens to purchase and wear bulletproof vests. Like a criminal won't wear one.

Heck. Every 7-11 clerk should wear one.

Wearing vests is perfectly legal except for people convicted of a violent crime or of drug trafficking.
A felon in MD can still wear a vest legally, but they need to apply for a special permit that allows them to.

 

[ImnoMensa]

Washington DC is living breathing proof of this fact.:

When guns are outlawed ,only outlaws will have guns.

 

[Larry Gude]

Not...

Washington DC is living breathing proof of this fact.:

When guns are outlawed ,only outlaws will have guns.

...much of a mystery, that.

 

[AK-74me]

About.....

as much mystery here as who killed Nicole Brown Simpson.

 

[toppick08]

After all, Washington D.C. is the "work-free,drug-zone" of the U.S.

 

[Chainsaw Slayer]

It's DC what do you expect? This is the city that re-elected a crack head, Mayor Berry for a couple terms in office. There is no hope for that place.

When you have stupid people like this runing the city they make up stupid laws.

 

[Lenny]

It's DC what do you expect? This is the city that re-elected a crack head, Mayor Berry for a couple terms in office. There is no hope for that place.

When you have stupid people like this runing the city they make up stupid laws.

It's time for the adults to take over government of the city again. Wait, that would mean the 'crats in Congress had control. Sorry, wait until the mature Republican adults regain control of Congress, then take back city government from the inept.

 

[itsbob]

What mystery?
There ARE guns on DC's streets. The ban failed to remove guns.
They are in the hands of criminals and the power elite. Average law abiding Joe is the ONLY one that doesn't have a gun.

James Webb, or more accurately.. one of his assistants packs his heat for him..

 

[MMDad]

It's time for the adults to take over government of the city again. Wait, that would mean the 'crats in Congress had control. Sorry, wait until the mature Republican adults regain control of Congress, then take back city government from the inept.

The 'pubs had power and did nothing. You can finger point all you want, but it comes down to a bunch of politicians pandering to whichever crowd gets them re-elected. None of them from either party will actually do anything to help the situation.

I have a friend who was shot in DC during a robbery. I'll have to ask him if the gun ban works.

 

[2ndAmendment]

Wearing vests is perfectly legal except for people convicted of a violent crime or of drug trafficking.
A felon in MD can still wear a vest legally, but they need to apply for a special permit that allows them to.

Not true unless it has recently changed. A few years back, the Md. legislature made it illegal for everyday citizens to buy or wear bulletproof vests.

 

[RadioPatrol]

"It's a pretty common-sense idea that the more guns there are around, the more gun violence you'll have," D.C. Attorney General Linda Singer said.

"One of the difficult things is, you can't measure what didn't happen," Singer said. "You can't measure how many guns didn't come into the District because we have this law."

well we know people were not allowed to bring in guns to protect themselves

 

[RadioPatrol]

The advent of the crack market and the unprecedented street violence it unleashed nationwide sent homicide rates soaring in the latter half of the 1980s. Not only did the number of killings surge in the District, the homicide rates here also far exceeded the rates in crack-ridden cities where handguns had not been banned.

If you probably cause believe the person hanging around on your neighborhood corner looking suspicious running back and forth to every 3rd car going buy is dealing drugs, you should be able to photograph said activity, approach said dealer, make a purchase as proof of activity, after purchase turn around weapon drawn cap the worthless scumbag ending his career, turn in drugs, picture, shell casing, and test round from you weapon, pick up your reward - like bounty for catching bail jumpers - and go on your merry way .......... :lamo:

 

[Novus Collectus]

Not true unless it has recently changed. A few years back, the Md. legislature made it illegal for everyday citizens to buy or wear bulletproof vests.

It has never been illegal for people not convicted of a crime of violence or drug trafficking to wear bullet proof vests in MD......trust me, I have two and I checked the law before I bought them.

4) APPLICATION FOR BULLETPROOF BODY ARMOR:
Maryland law mandates that all persons with a prior CONVICTION for a crime of violence or a drug trafficking crime are
prohibited from using, possessing, or purchasing bulletproof body armor without a permit issued by the Secretary of the
Maryland State Police.
NOTE: A permit to use, possess, or purchase bulletproof body armor is not required for persons not convicted of a
crime of violence or a drug trafficking crime.

http://www.mdsp.org/downloads/licensing_application.pdf

MD has passed only one vest law ever and that was about three or five years ago I think.

 

[Novus Collectus]

From the article:

Even as the homicide toll declined in D.C. after 1991, the percentage of killings committed with firearms remained far higher than it was when the ban was passed.

Even though murders dropped a lot from 2005 to 2006, the murder rate in 2006 is still higher than the year they passed the ban. In 2003, 2004, and 2005 the murder rate was much higher than in 1976.