To: Civil Rights and Crime and Justice Advocates
From: Gabe Schlabach, MCC Washington Office
Date: September 23, 2008

Issue

The U.S. Senate is moving to vote on a bill that would repeal all of the gun laws of the District of Columbia, and prevent the city from ever passing future gun violence prevention laws. Contact your senators today and urge them to oppose overriding D.C.’s gun laws.

Background

In June, the Supreme Court ruled in D.C. v. Heller that the District of Columbia’s absolute ban on handguns violated the Second Amendment. The Court noted, however, that specific gun control laws were constitutional. These laws include licensing firearms, preventing felons and the mentally ill from acquiring guns and banning “dangerous and unusual weapons.”

The D.C. government is complying with the ruling. The handgun ban is no longer in effect, and D.C. residents are now able to receive licenses to possess handguns. That doesn’t seem to be enough for some legislators, though.

The House of Representatives passed a bill last week that would override the D.C. Council’s constitutional gun laws. This bill would eliminate the District’s licensing laws and would require the city to allow the possession of dangerous firearms, including many semiautomatic weapons.

This bill makes a mockery of federalism. The District of Columbia has no voting representation in Congress, and supporters of this bill would take away even the city’s right to govern itself. Election year gun politics should not override the safety and civil rights concerns of D.C. residents.

Faith Reflection

Genesis 1 and 2 tell us that God has breathed life into human beings and made us in God’s own image and likeness. The Psalmist writes that humans are only “a little lower than heavenly beings” and “crowned … with glory and honor.” (Psalm 8:5) The sacredness of God’s gift of life to human beings has been at the center of the Christian tradition, and the premature loss of human life (in any form) is a tragedy.

Gun violence in the District of Columbia takes the lives of more than 150 D.C. residents per year. Gun control laws are controversial, and people of good will disagree about these laws’ effectiveness at preventing gun violence. But the people of the District of Columbia and their elected officials should decide how they want to approach this life and death issue, so long as they do so constitutionally.

Action

Call your senators today and ask them to oppose legislation that would strip the District of Columbia’s right to set gun laws for its own residents. A sample call script is included below.

Call Information

1. Call the Senate toll-free TODAY: 1-800-538-3218.
2. You will automatically be redirected to the Capitol switchboard.
3. Ask for one of your senators by name. If you need the names of the Senators who represent you, the information is available at this link.
4. Once directed to the office, ask for the legislative assistant who deals with firearms.

Sample Script

I am calling from [city]. I am calling to ask Senator [___] to prevent a bill on DC gun laws from coming to a vote in the Senate because:

• The bill completely contradicts the right of democratically-elected city governments to legislate their own public safety laws. [My city/state] would be outraged if Congress singled out [my city/state] to dictate gun laws without our consent. [This is what Congress is trying to do to DC, which has no voting representation in Congress.]
• This bill is being rushed through Congress in the last week before Congress adjourns.
• There have been no hearings on the bill. This bill is of enormous consequence for the people of the District of Columbia, and yet it is being pushed through at the 11th hour, without giving senators sufficient time to consider the implications.

IF this bill goes to the floor, I ask Senator [___] to vote no.

Visits, e-mails, phone calls, faxes and letters are all good ways to contact your legislators. E-mails, phone calls and faxes are good for time-sensitive issues. Postal mail travels slowly in the Capitol, but letters have long-term impact. Be sure to include your mailing address in all correspondence to confirm your residency in a particular district and state.

We would be grateful for copies of your correspondence and any responses you receive! Please send them to

* Call script adapted from an action alert by the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL)