D.C. Gun Laws: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Earlier this month we reported good news out of Washington, D.C., as the city was apparently following the latest court ruling in Wrenn v. District of Columbia and had stopped automatically denying every single concealed-carry permit application submitted.

But late last week the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia temporarily blocked a lower court's order mandating that the District process concealed-carry applications and disregard its "good" or "proper" purpose requirement. This means district officials can once again deny concealed-carry licenses even to applicants who meet all other qualifications, including successful background checks and completion of extensive firearm training.

While this won’t be the last word on the case, it once again leaves the good citizens of D.C. unable to adequately defend themselves against armed violent criminals, who don’t follow the district’s restrictive firearm laws.