Cab Drivers Argue to Carry Weapons

District law prohibits cab drivers from carrying a gun

Some cab drivers in the District of Columbia are fighting for the right to carry a weapon on the job.  The push comes after a cab driver was shot and killed during a carjacking last week in Laurel, Md. 

After the Supreme Court's decision to overturn a ban on handguns, D.C. residents are allowed to keep registered weapons in their place of business.  But police and city officials say the workplace must be a "fixed location," making it illegal for taxicab drivers to carry weapons.

Nathan Price, chairman of the D.C. Coalition of Taxicab Drivers, said the city's 7,000 drivers aren't sufficiently shielded, according to the Washington Examiner. That if the city fails to protect drivers, then it's a constitutional right "to carry a gun to protect yourself," Price said.

Police also investigated at least seven assaults on Washington taxi drivers in January and February.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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