JURIST - Paper Chase: DC Circuit denies en banc rehearing of gun control case

[JURIST] The US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit [official website] Tuesday denied a request by the city government of Washington, DC for an en banc rehearing of the court's March decision invalidating the city's handgun ban [JURIST report]. DC Mayor Adrian Fenty expressed disappointment [statement] with the decision, saying that "The District's gun control laws have been a critical part of the City's public safety strategy for more than 30 years. I remain deeply committed to combating gun violence and vigorously defending the laws of the District of Columbia." The city now has 90 days to file an appeal with the Supreme Court.

The city petitioned [JURIST report] the circuit court for an en banc rehearing last month, after a 2-1 panel vote in Parker v. District of Columbia held that the Second Amendment [text] required the court to overturn a 31-year old ban on handguns in the District of Columbia. A Republican bid to overturn the DC gun ban legislatively passed the US House of Representatives [WP report] in 2004 but failed to get Senate approval. The New York Times has more. The Washington Times has local coverage.

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