Nickles's Statement on Heller's Second Gun Battle

Dick Heller's decision to file a second gun suit against the District doesn't come as a surprise. The security guard, who already beat the District in the land's highest court, has come back for more. This time, as Post reporters note, to go after the city's new registration process and its continued ban on semiautomatic weapons.

City officials said on the day they announced their new registration proposals that they expected to end up in court again. Yesterday, Acting Attorney General Peter J. Nickles said he was expecting a long fight.

He released the following statement last night: "The District has received a copy of a new lawsuit challenging the District's revised firearms registration laws and regulations. The Office of the Attorney General will vigorously defend the District's laws as reasonable regulations of firearms, and as the lawful action of the people's representatives, the Mayor and the Council. We will continue to review the District's laws in an effort to strike a balance between the protection of the rights of firearm owners and the citizens of the District from increased gun-related violence."