D.C. residents should have to justify to police their need to own guns :: 08/09/2014

Robert McCartney's call to limit the right to carry handguns in the District "to people who can justify to police that they need the weapon for self-defense" highlighted how out of touch Post columnists are with legal and social norms pertaining to gun rights ["Beretta's hypocrisy in Maryland highlights crazy gun culture," Metro, Aug. 3]. More than half of the states allow open or concealed carry without a license, and the number of concealed carry licenses issued nationwide is estimated to have more than doubled since 2007 to more than 11 million.

In 2008, the Supreme Court in District of Columbia v. Heller held that the Second Amendment provides "the individual right to possess and carry weapons in case of confrontation." The phrase "in case of confrontation" highlights that this right is not preconditioned on a likelihood of confrontation.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dc-residents-should-not-have-to-justify-to-police-their-need-to-carry-guns/2014/08/08/dbde3836-1be9-11e4-9b6c-12e30cbe86a3_story.html