Only Washington DC could have their mayor busted by the feds, on videotape smoking crack cocaine with a hooker, and then re-elect the guy after he gets out of prison. That says a lot about how some minds work, or more appropriately, don’t work. So while remarkably unfortunate, it is only natural that the same type of skewed mentality and lack of reality that elects D.C.’s officials is commonly celebrated within the officials elected. Take for example the latest and greatest in D.C.’s attempt at hand gun control.

For 32 years our nation’s capital, the city where laws are written and Supreme Court justices are supposed to protect our constitutional rights, has had in place a constitutionally illegal ban on handgun ownership preventing law abiding citizens from owning a handgun. From the stratospheric murder rate in DC it was apparent that only the law abiding citizens were without a pistol. As the aforementioned Mayor Marion Barry put it “Outside of the killings, Washington DC has one of the lowest crime rates in the country.”

After numerous challenges this law finally made its way to the Supreme Court which rightfully ruled it unconstitutional. The ruling was clear; cities cannot override the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment and prevent law abiding citizens from owning a gun. Sounds simple, should be simple. But even the reality of simplicity can escape a simple mind.

Washington DC was forced to rescind their ban on handgun ownership. But in what can only be interpreted as an exerted effort on the part of the DC city council to keep their attorneys employed they have enacted what council members admit are the strictest gun ownership control measures available to them. Among these measures are the requirements that gun owners re-register their firearms every 3 years, owners must take classes on gun ownership and must spend time at a firing range.

Regarding this transparent attempt to disregard the Supreme Court’s ruling city councilwoman Mary Cheh stated that “No constitutional right is absolute, nor is this right to possess a gun in the home for self defense”. Not surprisingly Ms. Cheh is also a law professor. And while what she said is technically true, when it comes to law abiding legal citizens of this country it is not. If the good and learned councilwoman/professor bothered to read the Supreme Court decision she would see that it is in fact an absolute right and no city council has the ability to enforce additional requirements.

The city council can join the NRA if they want to promote gun safety, but they do not have the legal authority to impose their idea of suitable safety beyond the Constitution. Their feeble attempts aside, these requirements will do absolutely nothing to protect the citizens of DC from the bad guys using guns.

Handgun laws have multiplied like rabbits on Viagra. They have done nothing to prevent or even reduce murders. All they do is put an unnecessary burden on people who obey the law in the first place and make it appear that the lawmakers are actually doing something. Does anybody believe that gang bangers are going to make sure the shooter has his 4 hours of classroom training prior to shooting out of a moving car window? Furthermore these restrictions are discriminatory in that they put an undue financial burden on poor people.

It is far easier for do nothing officials to demonize the tool than it is to address the hand that holds it. It’s like blaming the car manufacturer for the drunk driver. Gang violence continues to grow unabated because lawmakers have developed the ability to place the burden of responsibility on an inanimate object and have chosen to accept a complete absence of it in people. It’s easy to say that handgun deaths are on the rise, but look at who is being killed and who is doing the killing. All the laws in the world imposed on the law abiding will do nothing to reduce crime.

Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for life. Then give that same man a gun and he won’t have to worry about the guy you gave the fish to when he gets hungry tomorrow.