WASHINGTON (AP) - The D.C. Council will consider a bill that would remove some of the hurdles residents have to clear before obtaining a handgun.

Continue reading

Councilmember Phil Mendelson introduced the bill Tuesday. It would do away with the requirement that residents undergo a vision test and submit handguns for ballistic identification before taking them home.

Would-be gun owners would still have to register their firearms with police, take a safety course and pass a test on the district's gun laws. But they would be allowed to possess a gun temporarily while taking the class and would only have to pass the test once.

The district has some of the nation's toughest gun laws. A federal appeals court ruled in October that the district must explain why some of its registration requirements are necessary.