Thrilling Gun Advocates, D.C. Won't Appeal Gun Ruling to U.S. Supreme Court

D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine will not appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court a recent court ruling overturning a portion of the city’s law restricting who can carry a concealed handgun in the District, avoiding a possible legal showdown that could have opened the door for the court’s conservative majority to declare that the Second Amendment broadly protects the right to bear arms outside of the home as much as inside it.

The decision, which was formally announced on Thursday afternoon, marks a victory for gun advocates who long argued it was unconstitutional for the city to require that anyone seeking a permit to carry a concealed handgun to show a “good reason” why they would need one.

“This is beyond good news,” said Leon Spears, a Maryland resident and handgun trainer who was first to receive a concealed-carry permit when D.C. started issuing them three years ago. “I am so excited that the Second Amendment is being honored in the District of Columbia.”

But it’s also only a partial victory. By not appealing, city officials are deciding not to risk letting the Supreme Court use the D.C. law to overturn similar “good reason” requirements in states like Maryland, New York and California — a point Racine stressed on Thursday afternoon.