Photo by His Noodly Appendage

A few weeks ago, we wrote that even with last’s years Supreme Court decision on the constitutionality of the District’s gun laws, not much had really changed. Today the Washington Times reports as much, finding that since the ruling only 515 guns have been legally registered in the city and police have yet to respond to a single case where a gun was used for self-defense in the home. Of course, it’s difficult to say whether the low rates of gun ownership are product of few people feeling they need them or the current regulations that require residents to jump through a number of hoops to register their guns.

All Hands on Deck, No Detectives on Hand: One of D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier’s principal accomplishments has been All Hands on Deck, her flood-the-streets-with-cops initiative. But as the Post writes, putting everyone to work is having unintended consequences on the type of work they are doing. Police detectives have complained that the initiative has forced them to put aside pending investigations, meaning that the criminals they are seeking remain free longer.

Abortions and Weed For All: We may not yet have voting rights, but we’re slowly getting rid of the many congressional riders that forbid us from doing certain things while mandating that we do others. The AP reports that the House of Representatives passed a spending bill for the District that lifts a longstanding ban on the use of city funds to provide abortions and would allow the city to legalize medical marijuana. The bill would also phase out a congressionally imposed school voucher program and allow the District to continue a needle-exchange program that was recently re-instituted after years of being banned by Congress.

Belt-Tightening in D.C. to Continue: A first round of cuts to the D.C. budget wasn’t enough to close a newly increased budget gap, it seems, forcing Mayor Adrian Fenty to propose a new round of measures to deal with a $666 million shortfall over the next two years. The Post reports that Fenty has proposed cutting 250 more city positions, selling a bus garage, moving money from special funds to the general budget and taking $188 million in federal stimulus funds and $125 million from the city’s rainy day reserve. The moves are expected to leave a $63 million shortfall for 2010.

Briefly Noted: Democratic senator’s comments about abortion anger conservatives … Sunday matinee at 9:30 Club is sure to rock hard … Metro not happy with NTSB … Statistical housekeeping helped raise D.C. test scores.

This Day in DCist: On this day in 2008, Dick Heller threatened to run against D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton and a fight over rent payments on the baseball stadium continued between the D.C. Council and Lerner family. In 2007, Mayor Adrian Fenty prepared to endorse Barack Obama and a wax likeness of Marion Barry was introduced at Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum. (Go ahead and crack jokes. Ha. “Crack.”)