Residents are right to arm themselves, Lt. Lowell K. Duckett later told The Washington Post, and the District's gun control law should be repealed. Duckett is president of the Black Police Caucus and a special assistant to Police Chief Larry D. Soulsby.
"Gun control has not worked in D.C. The only people who have guns are criminals," Lt. Duckett said. "We have the strictest gun laws in the nation and one of the highest murder rates. It's quicker to pull your Smith & Wesson than to dial 911 if you're being robbed."
Handguns are banned under the District's 1976 gun law, and the public perception is that all gun ownership is illegal in the District. Not exactly.
In addition to a pre-purchase application to police, D.C.'s gun law mandates registration of shotguns and rifles. Registered guns in homes must be kept unloaded and disassembled or locked.
"With the District's citizens terrorized by violent criminals, it's time the city's leaders recognize what police rank and file have long known," said Mrs. Tanya Metaksa, NRA's chief lobbyist. "D.C.'s gun law turns honest citizens into easy prey for criminals."