On the heels of being forced to adopt a gun carry law, DC City Council members decried the idea of anybody in the city owning a gun.
"We'd like to have much stricter--no carry rules at all," Councilman David Grosso said. "and, preferably, no guns at all."
"But the courts are ruling against us on this on a regular basis, and if they're not, then Congress is coming down on us."
They then debated whether or not they should expose the identity of gun owners to the public. "We should at least give our neighbors and residents a chance to know who has the gun, put it up there, let people be proud of it if they want to carry a concealed weapon," Grosso said with a chuckle. "But at least we'll all know who it is and we can treat them differently because they have a deadly threat in their possession."
Councilman Phil Mendelson was more cautious, saying that "it runs the risk that we're providing a means for somebody to find out who has a gun that then can burglarize or rob."
"Who cares about the confidentiality of a gun owner?" Councilwoman Yvette Alexander said. "We don't want it."
Gun rights activists are promising to challenge the restrictive nature of the new law in court once again. "We don't live in a country where 'rights' are enjoyed only at the police's pleasure," attorney Alan Gura said. "This bill does not end the case."