The following Press Release was sent out yesterday and is welcome news for DC gunowners and prospective gunowners.  Creation of an organized gun rights group in the nation's capitol is also good news for the movement.

The Firearms Coalition welcoms Capitol Gun Owners to the fight.

 

http://www.CapitalGunOwners.org

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  August 6, 2008

 

For more information contact:

 

Amy McVey,

George Lyon,

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DC group to press for gun rights

 

            Washington, D.C. A group of DC residents, workers and college students have organized to press Congress and the Council to fully implement the right of District of Columbia residents to keep and bear arms as confirmed by the Supreme Court’s recent Heller decision.

            Capital Gun Owner’s (CGO) President Amy McVey, said that the group supports recent bills introduced in Congress to protect the second amendment rights of District residents.  “If the Council will not obey the Constitution,” she said “then Congress has an obligation to step in to protect the rights of persons living, working, attending college and visiting the District.”

            CGO Board Member Joe Brown, said, “The District has failed to make a good faith attempt to comply with the Supreme Court’s holding in Heller.  Its continued ban on semi-automatic hand guns and rifles is directly contrary to Heller’s holding that ordinary every day weapons are Constitutionally protected.  Also, the District’s trigger lock requirement continues to prevent effective use of a firearm for self-defense.”

            McVey, who was the first person to register a hand gun following the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the District’s 32 year old hand gun ban, said the group’s goal is to overturn District’s continued ban on semi-automatic firearms and to streamline or eliminate the registration process.  “In addition,” she said, “District residents should have the right enjoyed by residents of virtually every other state in the nation to carry firearms for their protection, either openly or concealed.”

            CGO Board Member George Lyon, one of the original plaintiffs in the Heller case, said, “Our purpose is three fold, first to convince the city to fix its gun laws to comply with the Constitution, second to serve as a resource for gun owners to exercise their rights responsibly and safely, and third to educate the public concerning firearms issues.”

            Another of the original Heller plaintiffs, Gillian St. Lawrence, also a board member, said the group plans to meet with each of the Council members to explain what changes are needed in the District’s gun laws to accommodate the self-defense needs of District citizens.

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