WASHINGTON, Sept 29 (AFP) - Lawmakers in the US House of Representatives Wednesday voted to reinstate the right of Washington, DC, residents to own guns -- to the outrage of citizens' groups and anti-violence activists.
By a vote of 250-171, the House passed "The District of Columbia Personal Protection Act," allowing Washingtonians to keep loaded rifles, shotguns or handguns in their homes or businesses.
The bill, which now goes to the Senate, also does away with gun registration requirements.
"For years, Americans citizens in Washington, DC, have had their right to self-protection denied them, and it's time to set things right," said House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a chief backer of the bill.
"Washington residents are American citizens, and therefore deserve the right to bear arms to defend themselves as much as anyone else."
"The homes of this city will be safer when its law-abiding citizens are on an equal footing with its violent criminals," DeLay said.
In the 1990's, Washington gained the dubious distinction of America's "murder capital" because of the high rate of handgun related homicides.
To stem the crime wave, the city instituted some of the most restrictive gun laws in the nation, but DeLay and other detractors said those laws were ineffective, and merely rendered law-abiding citizens unable to defend themselves against gun-toting criminals.
In a statement, the Brady Campaign against Gun Violence, a non-profit group, said the new law "threatens the safety of District residents, the city's police officers, and any American who visits our nation's capital."