Steve Burns
WMAL.com

WASHINGTON – (WMAL) The D.C. Council is working through numerous proposals on regulating stun guns, an issue forced upon lawmakers following a Supreme Court ruling last March indicating electronic weapons are included in the Second Amendment.

“We understood our categorical ban was no longer going to survive, that we needed to think through this,” Art Parker, an Assistant Deputy in the D.C. Attorney General’s office, testified. “The various ranges of things we can consider is anything from treating it like the pepper sprays, which is very minimal regulation and tracking, all the way up to what we treat the concealed pistol licenses, which are the most restrictive licenses the District has.”

There is still a lot to work through before new regulations are set, including rules on who would be prohibited from possessing a stun gun, and establishing places where a stun gun would be prohibited.

“I believe the current proposal has juveniles (listed as prohibited from owning a stun gun), but I don’t know if there’s a consideration for convicted felons, or people who have civil protection or temporary protection orders,” Interim Police Chief Peter Newsham said. “With locations where a stun gun can be carried, there should probably be consideration to establishments that serve alcohol, prohibit them in those areas, and potentially large venues.”

Newsham noted police officers in the District do not carry stun guns or tasers.

Lawmakers remained concerned about the potential dangers of stun guns. Judiciary Committee Chairman Kenyan McDuffie noted multiple cases of stun gun use that ended with a fatality. Some cases involved preexisting conditions in the victim.

Parker said lawmakers could look to the District’s concealed carry laws for guidance on where a stun gun may or may not be permitted.

“We have a fairly extended list of prohibited places for the carry licenses in the District and whether any or all of those should be applicable to people carrying stun guns (should be looked at),” Parker said.

The bill as drafted indicates further regulations, including requiring businesses that sell stun guns to register with D.C. Police. It further spells out legal uses: It should not be used “except in the exercise of reasonable force in defense of person or property.”

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