Judge strikes down DC's ban on handguns outside home

[AggregateDemand]

Freedom Ruling.

DC will switch to "may-issue", and they'll only issue to politicians and wealthy citizens. The ruling is virtually meaningless.

[AggregateDemand]

This is not a positive step at all.  DC is a crowded city swarming with cops, it's insane to carry a gun for self-defense.  Maybe a few people will walk around strapped because they're scared of black people or whatever.  But, mostly this will have no effect on law-abiding citizens. 

The actual problem could for the police.  Imagine they've searched a suspect and they find an illegal gun.  He can claim it's a legal gun and perhaps they'll be forced to allow someone to go free and murder someone.  It could also interfere with police using an illegal gun charge to get someone off the streets so they can obtain warrants or prevent imminent violence.

DC is one of the homicide capitals of the United States. Do you know anything about concealed handgun licenses? The criminal can just tell the cop the gun is legal and the cop must let him go? Huh?

[AggregateDemand]

D.C.'s 2012 murder rate actually put it at only 19th among U.S. cities, below such "homicide capitals" as Buffalo, Milwaukee, and Oklahoma City.

There are many factors that have contributed to D.C.'s crime turnaround, but removing guns from criminals certainly is among them. I don't pretend to know how much of a role this played versus, say, removing lead from our drinking water and air, but I suspect it is a significant factor.

Homicide rate started falling after implementing and anti-gang task force in DC. Gangs don't get concealed handgun licenses. Also, the wiki you reference includes manslaughter. DC is a perpetual top-10 for homicide stats.

Unfortunately, the homicide rate rose sharply in 2013, due to the Navy shipyard shooting. Homicide rate was up sharply through the first half of 2014, as well. Violent crime is down, but homicide continues to plague the capital.