A three-judge panel ruled in a 2-to-1 decision that gun registration and bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines are acceptable and constitutional. Mayor Vince Gray said it "upholds our government’s authority to pass reasonable gun laws."

Last year, Byron Tau explored the relationship between gun laws and congressional representation for the District:

Unlike previous proposals to fix the capital’s orphaned political status, this one required nothing more than passing a bill and getting the president to sign it. And just two days earlier, Congressional leaders had decided to do just that. They’d agreed to bring to the floor the long-dormant D.C. Voting Rights Act, a measure that would immediately invalidate the “Taxation Without Representation” slogan on D.C. license plates.

The catch? The bill would also disembowel the District’s gun laws.

For more than a year, nonvoting D.C. Congressional Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton had tried to delete the armament provisions. Congress’ pro-gun contingent, backed by the ever-influential National Rifle Association, was adamant about overturning the city’s gun restrictions as a condition of giving Washington a voting member of Congress.

The impending vote meant advocates were finally, publicly admitting that there was no way to separate the gun issue from the voting rights issue. Zherka and other supporters had made an unhappy peace with that reality —or so he thought.

The one factor that hadn’t been on their side was time. Democrats were poised to lose seats in the November elections. The delicate bipartisan compromise that would have given GOP-dominated Utah an extra seat to counterbalance heavily Democratic D.C.’s new vote was about to unwind: The 2010 census would likely give Utah another seat no matter what happened to D.C.

“I believed we could get our gun laws back, but we could never get Utah back,” says Norton. “It really was a now or never proposition.” The message she was getting from talking to the city government, to her constituents, and to the coalition of voting rights advocates, she says, was: “‘Don’t lose the only chance we have.’”

Read the rest.

There are so many reasons this is a good idea – too many to list here. Mostly, it will make everyone who rides the train feel much safer. And despite what some may say, it's not really a problem that the firearm a District-bound Virginia resident boards with in, say, Quantico or Manassas cannot be carried legally in D.C. In fact – and I'm sure you've already thought of this – it's a potential revenue-maker for the state: Set up some kind of gun-checking station at the border, charge a few bucks for eight hours' worth of storage, and tack on a handling fee! Commuters will feel it's worth it to have their guns for a few stops, and they can conveniently pick them back up after a hard day's work.

NBC Washington reported that some members of your board were "less than thrilled with having to make the change" – as required by state law – "partially because many riders will run afoul of the differing rules across jurisdictions, but also because guns plus big crowds equals disaster."

For instance, Chris Zimmerman, an Arlington County supervisor, said, "I think encouraging people to bring guns onto loaded trains is a stupid idea."

That's short-sighted and silly. Bringing guns onto loaded trains is a good idea. Here's to hoping most commuters take advantage of the opportunity. We will all be better for it.

Comments? Ideas? I'm at eniedowski@washingtoncitypaper.com, and on Twitter.

"Some D.C. officials said it was ironic that the Senate bill granted the city full representation in the House while also overruling the District's decisions on a key local issue."

With that in mind, the D.C. Police did something unusual yesterday evening. The department started reporting on weapons officers recovered.

The department issued a press release:

"Shortly after 8:00 pm, on Wednesday, February 25, 2009, members assigned to the department’s Sixth District were executing a search warrant in the 3500 block of East Capitol Street, SE. During the execution of this search warrant, two suspects were apprehended without incident and a 9mm semi-automatic handgun with several live rounds of ammunition were recovered. Both suspects in this case were charged with 'Carrying a Pistol Without a License,' among other charges.

At approximately 9:13 pm, on Wednesday, February 25, 2009, members assigned to the department’s Sixth District were conducting a traffic stop in the 4200 block of Edson Place, NE. During the course of their investigation they recovered an assault weapon with several live rounds of ammunition. The suspects in this case were arrested and charged with 'Carrying a Pistol Without a License.'"

Is the D.C. Police trying to send a message to congress?