The Circus begins

The D.C. Government began accepting applications for handgun registrations today. One of the first casualties of the process was Dick Heller, the victorious plaintiff in D.C. v. Heller himself, because he attempted to register a semiautomatic pistol. That is, the same sort of pistol that most police departments use as their standard sidearm, is issued to members of the U.S. Army, and makes up around 73% of new handgun sales, according to the BATFE. In other words, for all intents and purposes, a semiautomatic pistol in every way meets the definition of a regular ol' garden-variety handgun, contrary to the protestations of the lunkheads in the D.C. Police Department and city government:

"A spokesman for the DC Police says the gun was a bottom-loading weapon, and according to their interpretation, all bottom-loading guns are outlawed because they are grouped with machine guns."

I can state categorically that their interpretation is wrong, and that the poor residents of Washington are about to fund another losing lawsuit. By the way, did I call it correctly the other day or what?

"Though residents will be allowed to begin applying for handgun permits, city officials have said the entire process could take weeks or months." (Emphasis mine)

Unacceptable.