D.C. Council Passes Concealed Carry Law

The proposed concealed carry bill has been passed in Washington, D.C.

According to the Washington Times, members of the D.C. Council voted unanimously in favor of the measure, which would give residents and visitors the right to carry a concealed handgun.

The new law sets strict requirements for obtaining a concealed carry permit. D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier will decide who has a valid reason for carrying a concealed weapon.

“Living in a high-crime area is not sufficient to establish the good cause,” Attorney General Irvin B. Nathan said, according to the Times. “Getting death threats, being the victim of domestic violence and having the threats or reoccurrence, that would be good cause. It has to be personalized. It has to be something specific.”

Another requirement is 16 hours of safety training and two hours of range training, in addition to registering your gun with the police department and “a determination that the person has not suffered from a mental illness or condition that puts them at risk of being a danger to others,” the Times reported.