It looks like Dick Heller might run for office as a Libertarian

Posted by Doug Craig at 7/23/2008 9:24 PM
Categories: Dick Heller
It looks like Dick Heller might run for office as a Libertarian
This was sent to me from his press guy



Heller to register handgun at 9 am Friday, July 18th at 300 Indiana Ave NW

While Dick Heller followed the instructions to register a handgun given to him earlier this week by the DC metro police, that was not the protocol followed this morning.  No one should have anticipated some confusion on the part of the city.  Therefore, we'll be back tomorrow to exercise our constitutional rights. 

The DC Metropolitan Police has posted information on its website:
http://www.mpdc.dc.gov/mpdc/cwp/view,a,1237,q,547431.asp
(some of the information is simplified to the point of being erroneous--such as the implied blanket prohibition on semiautomatic handguns)

Unfortunately, this report doesn't explain that Heller followed the instructions given to him and the city's confusion:
http://dcist.com/2008/07/17/heller_plans_to_run_against_eleanor.php

The situation is better explained here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/17/AR2008071700621.html?nav=rss_email/components
Although officials said that gun owners in Heller's situation can bring legally owned firearms from other jurisdictions into the District in order to register them, the attorney said he had told Heller not to do so without written assurance that it was permissible.

After Assistant Police Chief Peter J. Newsham promised Heller in front of a dozen reporters and news cameras that he would "absolutely not" get in trouble for bringing a revolver into the city, von Breichenruchardt said his client would do so another day. Neither Heller nor his attorney seemed upset by the delay.

"I think what's happened here this morning is a misunderstanding of the law, and that's perfectly understandable," von Breichenruchardt said. "We've got this new law in flux. We've got the old law. It's very difficult to figure out how to even legally bring the handgun into the city so you can apply for the registry."

Newsham amiably agreed. "Firearms registration is a pretty complicated set of rules and regulations, and they can be interpreted by reasonable people in different ways," he said. "I'm sure [Heller is] making his own reasonable interpretation. Our understanding of the rule is that Mr. Heller can legally bring his weapon here." When he does, Newsham added, "we will do the best we can to accommodate him and get him a registration."

To clarify, Mr. Heller has not made any final decision nor official announcement to run for political office--though has has been asked to do so and is considering it:
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/dc/2008/07/gun_registration_started_down.html

http://dcforheller.com/Petition.html

(Because of the gag order with the Supreme Court case, the ballot petitioning deadline past to run on the Republican line.  Therefore, should Mr. Heller decide to run for Delegate to Congress from DC he would be running as a Libertarian and would expect DC GOP support for that bid.  Ideally, he would have run on a Libertarian-Republican fusion ticket, but the DC Board of Elections and Ethics does not permit fusion tickets: "Mr. Heller's challenge to Ms. Norton is welcomed in the spirit of debate and as his campaign unfolds we look forward him hearing about some of his ideas to better DC," stated Robert J. Kabel, Chair of the District of Columbia Republican Committee.)

Videos of National Press Club event drafting Heller to run for Congress:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQZxjQ302Lw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Izts2x2u_L4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqnL1bi7ncM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYACOse6DLQ

One could expect Mr. Heller to be the nucleus of a DC gun owner's club to promote the importance of gun safety education. 

Heller Bio

Dick Anthony Heller was born in San Diego, California 66 years ago. He graduated from Manteca High School in California and immediately joined the Army at age 17 as a Paratrooper in the 101st Airborne division, and later was a Sky Diver at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. He came to Washington DC at 20 years old with his parents who had military jobs here.

Before becoming and armed "special police officer" here in Washington, DC, Heller had worked his way through college and earned an engineering degree.

A Capitol Hill resident for over 30 years, he lived across the street from the then crime-ridden Kentucky Courts housing complex. Heller witnessed firsthand the effects of the failures of the lack of job training and academics in the DC public school system.

Since Heller believes that individuals are accountable for their own behavior and that the DC public school system was failing its kids, he decided he needed to put his philosophy into practice.

Heller founded the "Children's Birthright Trust Fund" charity in 1984. Through that charity, Heller himself also taught entrepreneur classes in DC public schools and housing projects after school to impressively ambitious youths to give them the skills to start their own businesses and succeed in life. They also gave away computers to youth charities under the name "Computer Cadets."

He married in his wife Jane in 2006.

Heller was the eponymous plaintiff in the landmark US Supreme Court case overturning the D.C. handgun ban.

Heller has been the treasurer of the Libertarian Party of D.C. since July 2004 and has been a Ron Paul supporter for a long time--including both of his presidential bids first as a Libertarian and then as a Republican.

 

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