MILLER: D.C. Folds in Gun Rights Battle
Give the Council of the District of Columbia some credit. They’re actually responding to criticisms about how the city’s gun laws are being implemented.
The council’s Judiciary Committee chairman, Phil Mendelson, used his oversight powers to force the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to make changes over the past two weeks so that officers would properly explain and enforce the three-year old firearms’ laws.
My series has exposed how the MPD’s firearm registry office has been misleading the public about the gun laws, but the police department refused to admit fault or make the necessary modifications. Finally, I approached Mr. Mendelson about the problems.
The At-large Democrat presented many of my complaints in a letter to Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier on April 9.
Mr. Mendelson instructed her both on fixing the implementation of current law and how to change methods to reflect the revised gun law which passed the council on April 17 and will cut some of the red tape in the registry process.
1) Police experts on gun laws are not knowledgeable about the city’s firearms laws and thus giving out false information to the public. Click here to read my original story. Also, the firearm registry office’s 22-page guide to gun laws and its website give out print false information on transport laws. Click here to read my original story.
Mendelson letter to MPD: “There have been media reports that officers in the Registration section are informing applicants and registrants that they must go directly to or from a firearm-related activity and that stopping for gas, to use the restroom, or for a meal would be breaking the law.” He also notes that “the registration packet provided to applicants includes incorrect or misleading information regarding lawful transport requirements.”
Result: A spokesman said that an addendum to the registration package that has been posted online and is provided at registration.