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DC’s Concealed Carry Battle Boils Down To This One Clause

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The District of Columbia still won’t have to issue concealed-carry permits after a judge issued a stay pending appeal on a lower court’s ruling that a clause in the city’s gun law is unconstitutional.

The stay comes after a federal judge ruled the D.C. law requiring citizens to show a “good reason” for possessing a firearm violated the Second Amendment, though the Monday ruling will allow the city to continue denying gun permits while the case is appealed, The Washington Times reports.

Under the restrictive D.C. handgun law, a person would need to prove a current and immediate threat to their safety and property to acquire a license to carry a handgun.

D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine said he was “extremely pleased” with the court’s decision to allow the permitting process to remain intact while the court decides the merits of the law.

“This means that D.C. officials will be able to continue protecting the public and enforcing our gun laws while we pursue that appeal,” Racine said in a statement.

Racine said the city crafted the laws to be similar to laws in New York and New Jersey, where they have been upheld in federal appeals court, so he believes the city has a “very strong case.”

The judges, in the stay order, required the court to expedite the appeals process, which comes as good news for those attempting to acquire a permit in the district.

Meanwhile, the D.C. murder rate in the city is skyrocketing.

Since January, the district has seen a 20 percent rise in the number of murders committed in the city, forcing police Chief Cathy Lanier to announce an “all hands on deck” initiative scheduled to start in August.

So far in 2015, the district has seen 65 homicides, though the city has averaged close to one murder per day over the past two weeks.

The Circuit Court, though, hasn’t yet scheduled hearings in the case.

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