Tell people “no” enough times, and they’ll eventually stop asking. They did in Washington, D.C.: Apparently no reason qualified as “good reason” to own a gun, as law-abiding citizens were repeatedly turned away when applying for a permit.
That changed on May 18 when Judge Frederick Scullin ruled the “good reason” clause attached to the city’s carry law was unconstitutional. The result—applications surged. They jumped from 45 applications between January 1-May 18 to 140 requests between May 18-June 16.
So much for Cathy Lanier’s argument. The Metropolitan Police Department chief claimed the low numbers were due to low interest. “Our residents have been pretty clear this is not something that they wanted,” she declared. Fact is, the desire was always there. Now the means were, too.
The U.S. Court of Appeals has since issued a temporary stay on Scullin’s ruling. A final ruling is expected in the coming weeks.
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