BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation is asking the federal court to force the District of Columbia to abide by a May 18 ruling requiring the city to drop its requirement to show a “good reason” before issuing concealed carry permits, or find the city in contempt.
The request comes after SAF learned the city is denying permit applications for 90 days to “review” the order by Judge Frederick J. Scullin. SAF is noting in its new complaint to the court that, “Since ‘good reason’ and ‘proper reason’ no longer need be investigated, there is no need for the process to take even 90 days, let alone 180 or more days. Nor does the Court’s order allow for a 90-day ‘review’ period. The order itself is unambiguous. If Defendants do not understand it, they should have moved immediately for clarification. In any event, the Court’s order is supposed to be in effect now. All elements of contempt are plainly established: “(1) there was a court order in place; (2) the order required certain conduct by the defendant; and (3) the defendant failed to comply with that order.”
The city has asked for a stay on the May 18 order pending an appeal. SAF sees this as a stalling tactic to delay abiding by the court requirement to begin issuing permits to any qualified citizen, without having to show a “good reason.”
“By filing this motion the city is again ignoring the court order and pretending that they do not understand what the court has ruled,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb. “We will respond very firmly in opposition and will do everything legally possible to force Washington, D.C. to respect the Second Amendment.”
He called the city’s stalling effort “unconscionable” and “an example of municipal arrogance in the face of a court order to delay and discourage District residents in the exercise of a constitutionally protected right to bear arms.”
“We cannot allow the District to perpetuate an environment in which government can decide which civil rights it cares to recognize,” Gottlieb said. “This has got to cease, right now.”