Eleanor Holmes Norton: “It is virtually mandatory that I come to the floor this afternoon because the two most serious, antidemocratic, and…”

“It is virtually mandatory that I come to the floor this afternoon because the two most serious, antidemocratic, and anti-home rule amendments are pending in this House. I am very hopeful that they will not be sustained when the full Congress gets a look at them, but they certainly have passed this House: an amendment from Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky that attempts to wipe out, eliminate, all the gun laws of the Nation's Capital--the Nation's Capital, a prime terrorist target; the Nation's Capital, where Cabinet members lunch in our public places, go to our theaters, and walk in our streets; the Nation's Capital, where there are 650,000 residents; the Nation's Capital, one of the big cities of America, and it is those big cities where gun violence is most likely to occur. That is the amendment from Representative Massie. Then there is another amendment from Representative Andy Harris, an amendment that flies in the face of what is occurring across the country, of course, as 18 States long before the District of Columbia decriminalized their marijuana laws. So, too, has the District of Columbia. But this Member is seeking to meddle in the affairs of the District of Columbia--the local affairs, local matters--and to somehow keep the local legislature from passing a local law just like the laws of those 18 States.…”