Lynne Russell, a longtime CNN anchor, made headlines after being listed as the lead plaintiff in a massive Second Amendment challenge in our nation’s capital.
Russell is now waging war against D.C.’s prohibition concerning “off-body” carrying of firearms and weapons.
The anchor’s stand for gun rights stems from surviving a shootout with an armed assailant back in 2015 because she was carrying a weapon in her purse.
Legal expert Jonathan Turley said:
“Russell’s nightmare began when the armed assailant grabbed her outside of their motel in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and forced her into her room. He then threw her across the room onto the bed as her husband, Chuck De Caro, a former CNN correspondent, was coming out of the shower.”
“Russell then had the amazing calmness and control to suggest to her husband that there might be something in her purse that the man would want. Inside was her gun and De Caro pulled it out and exchanged fire with the man. He was shot three times but survived.’
“The assailant did not. Both Russell and De Caro showed amazing courage. The fact that De Caro could come out of a shower naked and immediately engage a gunman in a shootout is worthy of a Die Hard sequel.”
Russel has now taken up the cause and is fighting for the right to use off-body carry in order to keep themselves safe.
Turley states in his article that concealed carry in a holster is not a very convenient option for various aspects of ladies’ fashion, such as dresses.
However, carrying a gun in a purse allows women to have their weapons close.
According to D.C. Municipal Regulation 24-2344.1 and 24-2344.2, residents are told:
“A licensee shall carry any pistol in a manner that it is entirely hidden from view of the public when carried on or about a person, or when in a vehicle in such a way as it is entirely hidden from view of the public. A licensee shall carry any pistol in a holster on their person in a firmly secure manner that is reasonably designed to prevent loss, theft, or accidental discharge of the pistol.”
According to Turley, using a holster makes women a target for felons because it sticks out under dresses and would attract unwanted attention.
Russell has a strong case, as it would be difficult for the law to show any sort of historical support for limiting a person’s gun rights to strictly on-body carry.
The Court says:
“When the Second Amendment’s plain text covers an individual’s conduct, the Constitution presumptively protects that conduct.”
“I have previously written how New York, D.C., and Chicago are examples of Democratic cities that routinely commit lasting self-inflicted wounds to gun control efforts with poorly conceived and poorly drafted measures. In 2008, the District of Columbia brought us District of Columbia v. Heller, the watershed decision declaring that the Second Amendment protects the individual right of gun possession. In 2010, Chicago brought us McDonald v. City of Chicago, in which the Court declared that that right is incorporated against state and local government,” Turley wrote.
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