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No ‘Good Reason’: US Capital’s Gun Mandate Kicked to the Curb

© AP Photo / Jacquelyn Martin, FileIn this file photo, guns line the walls of the firearms reference collection at the Washington Metropolitan Police Department headquarters in Washington on Friday, Sept. 28, 2007
In this file photo, guns line the walls of the firearms reference collection at the Washington Metropolitan Police Department headquarters in Washington on Friday, Sept. 28, 2007 - Sputnik International
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A federal appeals court has determined that Washington, DC’s "good reason" mandate on carrying a concealed firearm was too restrictive.

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A hot-button issue since it was established in 1976, the requirement stated that in order for gun owners to carry a concealed weapon, they needed to provide a legitimate "good reason" that proves they are living in danger within the nation’s capital. 

Gun rights groups and Second Amendment fans rejoiced after the 2-1 decision, in which officials deemed the legislative bill a clear violation of US citizens' right to bear arms. 

"The good-reason law is necessarily a total ban on most DC residents' right to carry a gun in the face of ordinary self-defense needs," US Circuit Judge Thomas B. Griffith wrote for the majority, which also included Judge Stephen F. Williams. "Where these residents are no more dangerous with a gun than the next law-abiding citizen."

However, according US Circuit Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson, who opposed the ruling, considering the capital’s security challenges, the regulation actually "passes muster."

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The district now has 30 days to decide whether it wants to file a follow-up appeal. If the request is denied, it will allow the order to block the "good reason" law within seven days. 

Despite the setback, Karl A. Racine, a DC attorney general, says he will being considering an appeal, as the mandate represented a "common sense gun regulation."

"As we consider seeking review of today’s 2-1 decision before the entire DC Circuit, the 'good reason' requirement remains in effect," Courthouse News Service reported Racine saying. "The Office of Attorney General is committed to working with the mayor and council to continue fighting for commonsense gun rules."

A federal judge had initially upheld the law in 2016, which prompted the Second Amendment Foundation, along with three gun aficionados – Brian Wrenn, Joshua Akery and Tyler Whidby – to file suit.

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