I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3193

To restore second amendment rights in the District of Columbia. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 25, 2003

Mr. SOUDER (for himself, Mr. ROSS, Mr. DEMINT, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, 

Mr. STENHOLM, Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. GOODE, Mr. HOLDEN, 

Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. BERRY, Mr. JOHNSON of Illinois, Mr. BISHOP of 

Georgia, Mr. CANNON, Mr. CRAMER, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Mr. 

JOHN, Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia, Mr. PLATTS, Mr. REYES, Mr. 

LEWIS of Kentucky, Mr. PUTNAM, Mr. MATHESON, Mr. PAUL, Mr. 

HALL, Mr. MICHAUD, Mr. ORTIZ, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mr. MICA, Mr. 

DEAL of Georgia, Mr. ISTOOK, Mr. NEY, Mr. GOODLATTE, Mr. SCHROCK, 

Mr. PORTER, Mr. HENSARLING, Mr. CARTER, Mr. SANDLIN, Mr. BRADY

of Texas, Mr. BURGESS, Mr. REHBERG, Mr. SMITH of Texas, Mr. 

VITTER, Mr. EVERETT, Mr. SULLIVAN, Mrs. MILLER of Michigan, Mr. 

PETERSON of Minnesota, Mr. CARSON of Oklahoma, Mr. ALEXANDER, 

Mr. TURNER of Texas, Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee, Mr. OTTER, Mr. GREEN

of Texas, Mr. BARTON of Texas, Mr. GINGREY, Mrs. CUBIN, Mr. BACHUS, Mr. DUNCAN, Mr. JANKLOW, Mr. BOUCHER, Mr. MARSHALL, Mr. 

RYAN of Ohio, and Mr. TOOMEY) introduced the following bill; which was 

referred to the Committee on Government Reform 

A BILL

To restore second amendment rights in the District of 

Columbia.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2

•HR 3193 IH 

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘District of Columbia 

3 Personal Protection Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) The Second Amendment to the United 

7 States Constitution provides that the right of the 

8 people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. 

9 (2) The Second Amendment to the United 

10 States Constitution protects the rights of individ11 uals, including those who are not members of a mili12 tia or engaged in military service or training, to 

13 keep and bear arms. 

14 (3) The law-abiding citizens of the District of 

15 Columbia are deprived by local laws of handguns, ri16 fles, and shotguns that are commonly kept by law17 abiding persons throughout the rest of the United 

18 States for sporting use and for lawful defense of 

19 persons, homes, and families. 

20 (4) The District of Columbia has the highest 

21 per capita murder rate in the Nation, which may be 

22 attributed in part to local laws prohibiting posses23 sion of firearms by law-abiding persons who would 

24 otherwise be able to defend themselves and their 

25 loved ones in their own homes and businesses. 
3

•HR 3193 IH 

1 (5) The Federal Gun Control Act of 1968, as 

2 amended by the Firearms Owners’ Protection Act of 

3 1986, and the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention 

4 Act of 1993, provide comprehensive Federal regula5 tions applicable in the District of Columbia as else6 where. In addition, existing District of Columbia 

7 criminal laws punish possession and illegal use of 

8 firearms by violent criminals and felons. Con9 sequently, there is no need for local laws which only 

10 disarm law-abiding citizens. 

11 (6) Legislation is required to correct the Dis12 trict of Columbia’s law in order to restore the rights 

13 of its citizens under the Second Amendment to the 

14 United States Constitution and thereby enhance 

15 public safety. 

16 SEC. 3. REFORM D.C. COUNCIL’S AUTHORITY TO RESTRICT 

17 FIREARMS. 

18 Section 4 of the Act entitled ‘‘An Act to prohibit the 

19 killing of wild birds and wild animals in the District of 

20 Columbia’’, approved June 30, 1906 (34 Stat. 809; sec. 

21 1–303.43, D.C. Official Code) is amended by adding at 

22 the end the following: ‘‘This section shall not be construed 

23 to permit the Council, the Mayor, or any governmental 

24 or regulatory authority of the District of Columbia to pro25 hibit, constructively prohibit, or unduly burden the ability 
4

•HR 3193 IH 

1 of persons otherwise permitted to possess firearms under 

2 Federal law from acquiring, possessing in their homes or 

3 businesses, or using for sporting, self-protection or other 

4 lawful purposes, any firearm neither prohibited by Federal 

5 law nor regulated by the National Firearms Act. The Dis6 trict of Columbia shall not have authority to enact laws 

7 or regulations that discourage or eliminate the private 

8 ownership or use of firearms.’’. 

9 SEC. 4. REPEAL D.C. SEMIAUTOMATIC BAN. 

10 Section 101(10) of the Firearms Control Regulations 

11 Act of 1975 (sec. 7–2501.01(10), D.C. Official Code) is 

12 amended to read as follows: 

13 ‘‘(10) Machine gun means any firearm which 

14 shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily con15 verted or restored to shoot automatically, more than 

16 1 shot by a single function of the trigger.’’. 

17 SEC. 5. REPEAL REGISTRATION REQUIREMENT. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 201(a) of the Firearms 

19 Control Regulations Act of 1975 (sec. 7–2502.01(a), D.C. 

20 Official Code) is amended by striking ‘‘any firearm, un21 less’’ and all that follows through paragraph (3) and in22 serting the following: ‘‘any firearm described in subsection 

23 (c).’’. 

24 (b) DESCRIPTION OF FIREARMS REMAINING ILLE25 GAL.—Section 201 of such Act (sec. 7–2502.01, D.C. Offi-
5

•HR 3193 IH 

1 cial Code) is amended by adding at the end the following 

2 new subsection: 

3 ‘‘(c) A firearm described in this subsection is any of 

4 the following: 

5 ‘‘(1) A sawed-off shotgun. 

6 ‘‘(2) A machine gun. 

7 ‘‘(3) A short-barreled rifle.’’. 

8 SEC. 6. REPEAL HANDGUN AMMUNITION BAN. 

9 Section 601 of the Firearms Control Regulations Act 

10 of 1975 (sec. 7–2506.01, D.C. Official Code) is repealed. 

11 SEC. 7. RESTORE RIGHT OF SELF DEFENSE IN THE HOME. 

12 Section 702 of the Firearms Control Regulations Act 

13 of 1975 (sec. 7–2507.02, D.C. Official Code) is repealed. 

14 SEC. 8. ADDITIONAL REPEALS. 

15 Sections 202 through 211 of the Firearms Control 

16 Regulations Act of 1975 (secs. 7–2502.02 through 7–

17 2502.11, D.C. Official Code) are repealed. 

18 SEC. 9. REMOVE CRIMINAL PENALTIES FOR POSSESSION 

19 OF UNREGISTERED FIREARMS. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 706 of the Firearms Con21 trol Regulations Act of 1975 (sec. 7–2507.06, D.C. Offi22 cial Code) is amended—

23 (1) by striking ‘‘that:’’ and all that follows 

24 through ‘‘(1) A’’ and inserting ‘‘that a’’; and 

25 (2) by striking paragraph (2). 
6

•HR 3193 IH 

1 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

2 subsection (a) shall apply with respect to violations occur3 ring after the 60-day period which begins on the date of 

4 the enactment of this Act. 

5 SEC. 10. REMOVE CRIMINAL PENALTIES FOR CARRYING A 

6 PISTOL IN ONE’S DWELLING OR OTHER 

7 PREMISES. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 4(a) of the Act of July 

9 8, 1932 (47 Stat. 651; sec. 22–4504(a), D.C. Official 

10 Code) is amended—

11 (1) in the matter before paragraph (1), by in12 serting ‘‘, except in his dwelling house or place of 

13 business or on other land possessed by that person, 

14 whether loaded or unloaded,’’ before ‘‘a pistol’’; and 

15 (2) by striking ‘‘except that:’’ and all that fol16 lows through ‘‘(2) If the violation’’ and inserting 

17 ‘‘except that if the violation’’. 

18 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

19 subsection (a) shall apply with respect to violations occur20 ring after the 60-day period which begins on the date of 

21 the enactment of this Act.

Æ