In the midst of Capitol Hill lawmakers considering new gun control legislation in the wake of the deadly Las Vegas shooting, the District of Columbia decided not to appeal a court order that blocked the city’s restrictions on concealed carry, The Washington Post reported Thursday.
The decision not to appeal, made by D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine, comes as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit is expected to hand down an order by Friday that carries out a ruling that struck down the city’s “good reason” requirement for people in the district wanting licenses to carry concealed firearms.
Racine, according to The Post, stated that while he continues to support the constitutionality of D.C. concealed carry firearm law, he did not want to risk an adverse ruling from the Supreme Court that would place other metropolitan areas with concealed carry restrictions across the nation in a similar legal difficulty.
“We must reckon with the fact that an adverse decision by the Supreme Court could have wide-ranging negative effects not just on District residents, but on the country as a whole,” Racine said in a statement.
As a result of D.C.’s decision to not appeal, permit-seekers can start the application process for carry concealed weapons when the appeals court issues a formal mandate officially rolling back the “good reason” requirement.
“I don’t want to give anyone the misimpression that they can just go there and carry a gun right now,” D.C. police chief Peter Newsham said at a press conference Thursday with Mayor Muriel Bowser and city council members.
WATCH TO UNDERSTAND WHY SOME AMERICANS CHOOSE TO CARRY WEAPONS FOR SELF-DEFENSE: