D.C. Residents Under Attack With No Defense

A recent spate of armed robberies has brought to light the inability of Washington, D.C. residents to carry concealed weapons. So far in 2012 there have been twice as many robberies at gunpoint than at this time last year. The sharp rise in brazen criminal activity has brought on the usual round of increased police officers and patrols in the areas hit hard by the crime wave. Whether this strategy works to bring a halt to the robberies remains to be seen over the next few weeks.

One strategy that has been proven to work, allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons, does not appear to be in the cards in the nation’s capital. The District is notorious for its unwillingness to give its residents the ability to protect themselves. It took the monumental United States Supreme Court decision in District of Columbia v. Heller for residents to have even a modicum of protection under the Second Amendment. However, the citizens of D.C. are still banned from carrying outside the home and concealed carry is prohibited. The District joins only Illinois in the distinction of being a “No-issue” concealed carry jurisdiction. It is clear, however, that the criminals in Washington, D.C. are paying little attention to its gun laws.-[source]