Today, Councilmember Charles Allen, chair of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, issued the following statement:

“Today’s decision isn’t one made lightly. It’s no exaggeration to say this decision is made not just for our nearly 700,000 District residents, but also on behalf of millions of lives across our entire country. I support the decision by Attorney General Karl Racine not to appeal the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia’s ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.

An adverse decision by the Supreme Court wouldn’t just upend our gun laws in DC - it would impact cities and states nationwide. I believe our DC law on concealed carry permits is a sound and reasoned approach, but taking it to the highest court is a risky gamble that we can’t afford to lose. We must think and act in the best interest of all Americans. The Attorney General, along with the Mayor, Council Chair, and myself, had to weigh the generational and national implications that come with losing an appeal.

There is little to no evidence to suggest a majority of the justices would rule in our favor. Losing would set a legal precedent that would knock out many other states’ “good reason” clauses and open the door for the Court to broaden its ruling to apply to other gun safety laws.

As Chair of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, I will continue to work with my colleagues to review and consider laws that are smart, strategic, and make our city a safer place. Anticipating this very situation, our concealed carry law was written very narrowly. Most of our city’s gun safety laws remain intact. I believe the Attorney General has made the right, and hard, choice.”