District of Columbia Personal Protection Act

H.R. 1288, the District of Columbia Personal Protection Act, proposes to significantly roll back local firearm regulations in Washington, D.C., by limiting the authority of the District’s government to restrict gun ownership. The bill would repeal the District’s long-standing requirements for firearm registration and its ban on semiautomatic weapons, while also removing the mandate that firearms kept in the home be stored unloaded or disassembled.

For residents and business owners in the District, the bill would allow the legal possession of handguns and other firearms for self-defense and sporting purposes without needing to register them with the local government. While it maintains prohibitions on certain weapons like machine guns and sawed-off shotguns, it would eliminate criminal penalties for carrying a pistol within one's own home or place of business. The legislation effectively shifts firearm oversight in the District to align more closely with federal standards rather than local municipal codes.