All summer long, rising violence has been the leading story in Washington, D.C. On Aug. 3, law-enforcement officials from several cities—including the District—met to discuss the spike in big-city crime and possible solutions. One of the summit’s organizers was D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier. Among the recommendations: More stringent gun laws, including harsher penalties for gun crimes and use of “high-capacity” magazines.
Given that agenda, this latest information out of D.C. should come as no surprise—of the 206 concealed-carry applications filed with the Metropolitan Police Department, only 44 have been approved. So despite the nearly daily headlines on D.C.’s violence, the MPD has approved less than one-quarter of applicants seeking protection when they need it the most. Instead of stumping for more gun laws, Lanier would do well to learn a lesson from the story of New Jersey’s Carol Bowne—she, too, was disarmed when she needed protection the most.
