AFTER the U.S. Supreme Court voided the unworkable pistol ban in the nation's capital, the District of Columbia council unanimously passed rules to license guns - but only if they're kept unloaded, disassembled or trigger-locked inside homes. They still may not be carried on streets. Owners must pass eye and written tests. Gun-lovers plan to sue over the tough new rules.

What a mess. This ongoing battle doesn't solve the basic question: What can be done to reduce America's 12,000 yearly pistol murders?

As we've said before, licensed, registered pistols in the hands of law-abiding people aren't the chief problem. The worst danger comes from thousands, millions, of illegal guns hidden in pockets of dangerous bearers. The right-to-bear-arms lobby is so powerful that politicians and police do little against this menace.

A longtime Washington prosecutor, Glenn Ivey, wrote a commentary in the Washington Post calling for both sides to cooperate in "a working coalition to transcend partisan disagreements and support strategies proven to reduce gun violence."

Ivey said the high court's ruling didn't disallow "licensing requirements, bans on concealed weapons, prohibitions on felons and the mentally ill possessing handguns, bans on carrying handguns in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings," etc. Concerned people should use that basis to try to curb senseless murders. He wrote:

"The consequences are staggering: Homicide has been a leading cause of death for young African American men for nearly two decades. Usually a firearm is involved in these deaths. Increasingly, the motive for the killing is trivial, and I have heard them all: He cut ahead of me in line; he wouldn't give me a cigarette; he looked at my woman."

Why are people like this walking the streets with pistols in their pockets? Why does the gun lobby endlessly defend their "right to bear arms"? Why does the lobby oppose bans on armor-piercing "cop-killer" bullets and plastic pistols that can be sneaked past metal detectors? What kind of brutal America is the lobby trying to create?

Ivey continued:

"Boston, New York, Cincinnati and other cities have dramatically reduced gun violence through a combination of tough guns laws, longer prison terms for violators, reasonable restrictions on gun ownership, and intervention and prevention programs that target at-risk youths."

The prosecutor urged both sides to agree on several safety measures, such as:

"Close the gun show loophole, ban 'dangerous and unusual' firearms such as assault weapons, require microstamp identifiers on fired cartridges, and allow local law officials to access federal gun-trace data used to track illegal gun dealers.... Fully fund the new Second Chance Act, which would help ex-offenders with employment and education assistance they need to become productive citizens. Also, provide more funds for school and community programs proven to reduce youth violence."

Could the gun lobby cooperate with police and safety crusaders to achieve these reforms? Such teamwork would be a blessing for America.

What a mess. This ongoing battle doesn't solve the basic question: What can be done to reduce America's 12,000 yearly pistol murders?

As we've said before, licensed, registered pistols in the hands of law-abiding people aren't the chief problem. The worst danger comes from thousands, millions, of illegal guns hidden in pockets of dangerous bearers. The right-to-bear-arms lobby is so powerful that politicians and police do little against this menace.

A longtime Washington prosecutor, Glenn Ivey, wrote a commentary in the Washington Post calling for both sides to cooperate in "a working coalition to transcend partisan disagreements and support strategies proven to reduce gun violence."

Ivey said the high court's ruling didn't disallow "licensing requirements, bans on concealed weapons, prohibitions on felons and the mentally ill possessing handguns, bans on carrying handguns in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings," etc. Concerned people should use that basis to try to curb senseless murders. He wrote:

"The consequences are staggering: Homicide has been a leading cause of death for young African American men for nearly two decades. Usually a firearm is involved in these deaths. Increasingly, the motive for the killing is trivial, and I have heard them all: He cut ahead of me in line; he wouldn't give me a cigarette; he looked at my woman."

Why are people like this walking the streets with pistols in their pockets? Why does the gun lobby endlessly defend their "right to bear arms"? Why does the lobby oppose bans on armor-piercing "cop-killer" bullets and plastic pistols that can be sneaked past metal detectors? What kind of brutal America is the lobby trying to create?

Ivey continued:

"Boston, New York, Cincinnati and other cities have dramatically reduced gun violence through a combination of tough guns laws, longer prison terms for violators, reasonable restrictions on gun ownership, and intervention and prevention programs that target at-risk youths."

The prosecutor urged both sides to agree on several safety measures, such as:

"Close the gun show loophole, ban 'dangerous and unusual' firearms such as assault weapons, require microstamp identifiers on fired cartridges, and allow local law officials to access federal gun-trace data used to track illegal gun dealers.... Fully fund the new Second Chance Act, which would help ex-offenders with employment and education assistance they need to become productive citizens. Also, provide more funds for school and community programs proven to reduce youth violence."

Could the gun lobby cooperate with police and safety crusaders to achieve these reforms? Such teamwork would be a blessing for America.