LIKE THE SEGREGATIONISTS OF OLD, SHE DOESN’T WANT OUTSIDE CIVIL-RIGHTS INTERFERENCE IN LOCAL TRADITIONS: Norton to Congress: Hands Off D.C.’s New Gun Law.

Emergency legislation legalizing the carry of concealed handguns in the District cleared the D.C. Council unanimously on Tuesday afternoon, setting up a temporary “may-issue” permitting scheme.

Under the legislation, guns are not allowed near Congress. Guns are outlawed within 1,000 feet of any foreign dignitary or high-ranking federal official. They are also banned near the White House in Northwest Washington, in an area bound by Constitution Avenue, H Street and 15th and 17th streets, and on most federal property, including the Capitol grounds. The law puts into place many other requirements and restrictions.

Opponents like Alan Gura, the lawyer who argued against the city’s ban on handguns in Palmer v. District of Columbia, argue the law gives the Metropolitan Police Department too much subjective discretion over who will be able to carry a gun.

“A joke,” is how Gura characterized the bill in a recent telephone interview.

When a local community lets its prejudices override civil rights protected by the Constitution, it’s Congress’s role to step in.