WASHINGTON — After days of consulting with the mayor’s office and city council members, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine has reportedly decided not to fight a ruling that effectively strikes down the District’s strict law that makes it difficult for gun owners to get concealed carry permits.
Sources told WTOP’s broadcast news partner NBC Washington that Racine made the decision not to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court and will formally make an announcement later on Thursday.
The law, which requires that people show “good reason” to carry a concealed weapon before they can get a permit, suffered a setback in July when a divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that it infringes on residents’ Second Amendment rights.
D.C. officials later asked the Court of Appeals to rehear the case as a full court. However, in a brief order last week, the court said it would not reconsider the ruling, leaving the city’s attorney general with no choice but to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court or back down.
Under the law, reasons to get a concealed carry license might include a personal threat, or a job that requires a person to carry or protect cash or valuables.
The requirement remained in effect while the appeals court considered a rehearing.
Council member Charles Allen, who is the chair of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, said that he was “very disappointed” that the court did not take the case.
“I think that we had passed a very strong law, and I thought that the attorney general did a great job in making the arguments in defending it,” Allen said. “People walking around with concealed carry weapons is just going to make it harder for our police officers to do their job.”
Gun rights advocates have long argued that the law is unconstitutional and that it makes it difficult for people to defend themselves.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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