I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1399 
To restore Second Amendment rights in the District of Columbia. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 8, 2007 
Mr. ROSS (for himself and Mr. SOUDER) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 
A BILL 
To restore Second Amendment rights in the District of 
Columbia. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘District of Columbia 
Personal Protection Act’’. 
SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The Second Amendment to the United 
States Constitution provides that the right of the 
people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. 
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(2) The Second Amendment to the United 
States Constitution protects the rights of individ-
uals, including those who are not members of a mili-
tia or engaged in military service or training, to 
keep and bear arms. 
(3) The law-abiding citizens of the District of 
Columbia are deprived by local laws of handguns, ri-
fles, and shotguns that are commonly kept by law- 
abiding persons throughout the United States for 
sporting use and for lawful defense of their persons, 
homes, businesses, and families. 
(4) The District of Columbia has the highest 
per capita murder rate in the Nation, which may be 
attributed in part to local laws prohibiting posses-
sion of firearms by law-abiding persons who would 
otherwise be able to defend themselves and their 
loved ones in their own homes and businesses. 
(5) The Federal Gun Control Act of 1968, as 
amended by the Firearms Owners’ Protection Act of 
1986, and the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention 
Act of 1993, provide comprehensive Federal regula-
tions applicable in the District of Columbia as else-
where. In addition, existing District of Columbia 
criminal laws punish possession and illegal use of 
firearms by violent criminals and felons. Con-
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sequently, there is no need for local laws which only 
affect and disarm law-abiding citizens. 
(6) Legislation is required to correct the Dis-
trict of Columbia’s law in order to restore the funda-
mental rights of its citizens under the Second 
Amendment to the United States Constitution and 
thereby enhance public safety. 
SEC. 3. REFORM D.C. COUNCIL’S AUTHORITY TO RESTRICT 
FIREARMS. 
Section 4 of the Act entitled ‘‘An Act to prohibit the 
killing of wild birds and wild animals in the District of 
Columbia’’, approved June 30, 1906 (34 Stat. 809; sec. 
1–303.43, D.C. Official Code) is amended by adding at 
the end the following: ‘‘Nothing in this section or any 
other provision of law shall authorize, or shall be con-
strued to permit, the Council, the Mayor, or any govern-
mental or regulatory authority of the District of Columbia 
to prohibit, constructively prohibit, or unduly burden the 
ability of persons not prohibited from possessing firearms 
under Federal law from acquiring, possessing in their 
homes or businesses, or using for sporting, self-protection 
or other lawful purposes, any firearm neither prohibited 
by Federal law nor subject to the National Firearms Act. 
The District of Columbia shall not have authority to enact 
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laws or regulations that discourage or eliminate the pri-
vate ownership or use of firearms.’’. 
SEC. 4. REPEAL D.C. SEMIAUTOMATIC BAN. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 101(10) of the Firearms 
Control Regulations Act of 1975 (sec. 7–2501.01(10), 
D.C. Official Code) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(10) ‘Machine gun’ means any firearm which 
shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily con-
verted or restored to shoot automatically, more than 
1 shot by a single function of the trigger, and in-
cludes the frame or receiver of any such weapon, any 
part designed and intended solely and exclusively, or 
combination of parts designed and intended, for use 
in converting a weapon into a machine gun, and any 
combination of parts from which a machine gun can 
be assembled if such parts are in the possession or 
under the control of a person.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT TO PROVISIONS SET-
TING FORTH CRIMINAL PENALTIES.—Section 1(c) of the 
Act of July 8, 1932 (47 Stat. 651; sec. 22–4501(c), D.C. 
Official Code) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(c) ‘Machine gun’, as used in this Act, has the 
meaning given such term in section 101(10) of the Fire-
arms Control Regulations Act of 1975.’’. 
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SEC. 5. REPEAL REGISTRATION REQUIREMENT. 
(a) REPEAL OF REQUIREMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 201(a) of the Fire-
arms Control Regulations Act of 1975 (sec. 7– 
2502.01(a), D.C. Official Code) is amended by strik-
ing ‘‘any firearm, unless’’ and all that follows 
through paragraph (3) and inserting the following: 
‘‘any firearm described in subsection (c).’’. 
(2) DESCRIPTION OF FIREARMS REMAINING IL-
LEGAL.—Section 201 of such Act (sec. 7–2502.01, 
D.C. Official Code) is amended by adding at the end 
the following new subsection: 
‘‘(c) A firearm described in this subsection is any of 
the following: 
‘‘(1) A sawed-off shotgun. 
‘‘(2) A machine gun. 
‘‘(3) A short-barreled rifle.’’. 
(3) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The heading 
of section 201 of such Act (sec. 7–2502.01, D.C. Of-
ficial Code) is amended by striking ‘‘Registration re-
quirements’’ and inserting ‘‘Firearm Possession’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS TO FIREARMS CON-
TROL REGULATIONS ACT.—The Firearms Control Regu-
lations Act of 1975 is amended as follows: 
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(1) Sections 202 through 211 (secs. 7–2502.02 
through 7–2502.11, D.C. Official Code) are re-
pealed. 
(2) Section 101 (sec. 7–2501.01, D.C. Official 
Code) is amended by striking paragraph (13). 
(3) Section 401 (sec. 7–2504.01, D.C. Official 
Code) is amended— 
(A) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘the Dis-
trict;’’ and all that follows and inserting the fol-
lowing: ‘‘the District, except that a person may 
engage in hand loading, reloading, or custom 
loading of ammunition for firearms lawfully 
possessed under this Act.’’; and 
(B) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘which 
are unregisterable under section 202’’ and in-
serting ‘‘which are prohibited under section 
201’’. 
(4) Section 402 (sec. 7–2504.02, D.C. Official 
Code) is amended— 
(A) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘Any 
person eligible to register a firearm’’ and all 
that follows through ‘‘such business,’’ and in-
serting the following: ‘‘Any person not other-
wise prohibited from possessing or receiving a 
firearm under Federal of District law, or from 
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being licensed under section 923 of title 18, 
United States Code,’’; and 
(B) in subsection (b), by amending para-
graph (1) to read as follows: 
‘‘(1) The applicant’s name;’’. 
(5) Section 403(b) (sec. 7–2504.03(b), D.C. Of-
ficial Code) is amended by striking ‘‘registration cer-
tificate’’ and inserting ‘‘dealer’s license’’. 
(6) Section 404(a)(3) (sec. 7–2504.04(a)(3)), 
D.C. Official Code) is amended— 
(A) in subparagraph (B)(i), by striking 
‘‘registration certificate number (if any) of the 
firearm,’’; 
(B) in subparagraph (B)(iv), by striking 
‘‘holding the registration certificate’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘from whom it was received for repair’’; 
(C) in subparagraph (C)(i), by striking 
‘‘and registration certificate number (if any) of 
the firearm’’; 
(D) in subparagraph (C)(ii), by striking 
‘‘registration certificate number or’’; 
(E) in subparagraph (D)(ii), by striking 
‘‘or registration number’’; and 
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(F) in subparagraph (E), by striking 
clause (iii) and redesignating clauses (iv) and 
(v) as clauses (iii) and (iv). 
(7) Section 406(c) (sec. 7–2504.06(c), D.C. Of-
ficial Code) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(c) Within 45 days of a decision becoming effective 
which is unfavorable to a licensee or to an applicant for 
a dealer’s license, the licensee or application shall— 
‘‘(1) lawfully remove from the District all de-
structive devices in his inventory, or peaceably sur-
render to the Chief all destructive devices in his in-
ventory in the manner provided in section 705; and 
‘‘(2) lawfully dispose, to himself or to another, 
any firearms and ammunition in his inventory.’’. 
(8) Section 407(b) (sec. 7–2504.07(b), D.C. Of-
ficial Code) is amended by striking ‘‘would not be el-
igible’’ and all that follows and inserting ‘‘is prohib-
ited from possessing or receiving a firearm under 
Federal or District law.’’. 
(9) Section 502 (sec. 7–2505.02, D.C. Official 
Code) is amended— 
(A) by amending subsection (a) to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(a) Any person or organization not prohibited from 
possessing or receiving a firearm under Federal or District 
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law may sell or otherwise transfer ammunition or any fire-
arm, except those which are prohibited under section 201, 
to a licensed dealer.’’; 
(B) by amending subsection (c) to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(c) Any licensed dealer may sell or otherwise trans-
fer a firearm to any person or organization not otherwise 
prohibited from possessing or receiving such firearm under 
Federal or District law.’’; 
(C) in subsection (d), by striking para-
graphs (2) and (3); and 
(D) by striking subsection (e). 
(10) Section 704 (sec. 7–2507.04, D.C. Official 
Code) is amended— 
(A) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘any reg-
istration certificate or’’ and inserting ‘‘a’’; and 
(B) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘reg-
istration certificate,’’. 
(c) OTHER CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 
2(4) of the Illegal Firearm Sale and Distribution Strict 
Liability Act of 1992 (sec. 7–2531.01(2)(4), D.C. Official 
Code) is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘or ignor-
ing proof of the purchaser’s residence in the District 
of Columbia’’; and 
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(2) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘registra-
tion and’’. 
SEC. 6. REPEAL HANDGUN AMMUNITION BAN. 
(a) DEFINITION OF RESTRICTED PISTOL BULLET.— 
Section 101(13a) of the Firearms Control Regulations Act 
of 1975 (sec. 7–2501.01(13a)) is amended to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(13a)(A) ‘Restricted pistol bullet’ means— 
‘‘(i) a projectile or projectile core which 
may be used in a handgun and which is con-
structed entirely (excluding the presence of 
traces of other substances) from one or a com-
bination of tungsten alloys, steel, iron, brass, 
bronze, beryllium copper, or depleted uranium; 
or 
‘‘(ii) a full-jacketed projectile larger than 
.22 caliber designed and intended for use in a 
handgun and whose jacket has a weight of more 
than 25 percent of the total weight of the pro-
jectile. 
‘‘(B) The term ‘restricted pistol bullet’ does not 
include shotgun shot required by Federal or State 
environmental or game regulations for hunting pur-
poses, a frangible projectile designed for target 
shooting, a projectile which the Attorney General of 
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the United States (pursuant to section 921(a)(17) of 
title 18, United States Code) finds is primarily in-
tended to be used for sporting purposes, or any 
other projectile or projectile core which the Attorney 
General finds is intended to be used for industrial 
purposes, including a charge used in an oil and gas 
well perforating device.’’. 
(b) REPEAL OF BAN.—Section 601 of the Firearms 
Control Regulations Act of 1975 (sec. 7–2506.01, D.C. 
Official Code) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘ammunition’’ each place it ap-
pears (other than paragraph (4)) and inserting ‘‘re-
stricted pistol bullets’’; and 
(2) by striking paragraph (3) and redesignating 
paragraph (4) as paragraph (3). 
SEC. 7. RESTORE RIGHT OF SELF DEFENSE IN THE HOME. 
Section 702 of the Firearms Control Regulations Act 
of 1975 (sec. 7–2507.02, D.C. Official Code) is repealed. 
SEC. 8. REMOVE CRIMINAL PENALTIES FOR POSSESSION 
OF UNREGISTERED FIREARMS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 706 of the Firearms Con-
trol Regulations Act of 1975 (sec. 7–2507.06, D.C. Offi-
cial Code) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘that:’’ and all that follows 
through ‘‘(1) A’’ and inserting ‘‘that a’’; and 
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