Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975

The Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975 was passed by the District of Columbia city council on June 29, 1976,[1][2] and went into effect September 24, 1976.[3] The law banned residents from owning handguns, automatic firearms, or high-capacity semi-automatic firearms, as well as prohibited possession of unregistered firearms. Exceptions to the ban were allowed for police officers and guns registered before 1976. The law also required firearms kept in the home to be "unloaded, disassembled, or bound by a trigger lock or similar device";[4] this was deemed to be a prohibition on the use of firearms for self-defense in the home.[5] On June 26, 2008, in the historic case of District of Columbia v. Heller, the Supreme Court of the United States determined that the ban and trigger lock provisions violate the Second Amendment.

  1. ^ "Gun Control Bill In Washington, D.C.", St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 30, 1976, p. 2D
  2. ^ "Government Reform to Review D.C. s Handgun Ban". Congressman Tom Davis. Archived from the original on 2007-02-28. Retrieved 2007-03-09.
  3. ^ "Washington Gets Tough Gun Law", St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 24, 1976, p. 16A
  4. ^ "The Case For Reforming The District of Columbia's Gun Laws". National Rifle Association.
  5. ^ Senior Circuit Judge Silberman (2007-03-09). "Case No. 04-7041, Parker v. D.C." (PDF). United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. p. 58. Retrieved 2008-02-12. Section 7-2507.02, like the bar on carrying a pistol within the home, amounts to a complete prohibition on the lawful use of handguns for self-defense.