Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) used her time in the Congressional hearing with Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle to talk about concealed carry and concealed carry permit holders in Washington, D.C., following the failed assassination attempt on Donald Trump by a Pennsylvania resident with an AR-15.
Eleanor Holmes Norton doesn’t even bother with customary condolences over the shooting or condemn USSS failures. Right to gun control diatribe. She represents a city under siege by gun violence while Biden’s handpicked prosecutor refuses to charge most gun crimes.
— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) July 22, 2024 [1]
Speaking at the House Oversight Committee’s Secret Service hearing, Holmes initially began with criticisms of the AR-15 rifle. However, she quickly shifted to concealed carry within Washington, D.C., and criticized Republican efforts to broaden it.
They are all so frustrating to listen to. https://t.co/o25CK4KTCG [2]
— Allison Dyer (@3rdGener) July 22, 2024 [3]
Despite some observations that such a shift was unnecessary, Holmes went on to clarify the Democratic position on expanded concealed carry: “Under current DC law, DC does not recognize concealed carry permits issued by other jurisdictions, but it does issue concealed carry permits to both residents and non-residents.”
“However, D.C. imposes a number of requirements on concealed carry applicants, including suitability, such as not having exhibited a propensity for violence or instability.”
Holmes then brought up other individual portions of DC’s requirements for concealed carry applicants, further criticizing Republican efforts to change D.C.’s rules.
If successful, concealed permit holders from any state would be able to carry for self-defense in Washington, D.C., which Holmes found intolerable.
In the hopes of relying on Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle, Holmes asked how the agency would respond if the Republicans’ efforts got through. Cheatle, however, refused to criticize concealed carry laws or concealed permit holders.
It bears mentioning that President Trump’s would-be assassin used a rifle, not a concealed carry handgun.
Nonetheless, Delegate Norton took the opportunity to express her opinions on the matter of concealed carry during a hearing that, in reality, had little to do with the topics the hearing was about.