Friday Question of the Day – DC Voting Rights, At What Cost?

Photo from PoPville flickr user noahdevereaux

In Thursday’s Washington Post there is an article titled Deal on DC vote in House to be revived:

Congressional leaders intend to resurrect a D.C. voting rights bill as early as next week, despite opposition from many city leaders to an amendment that would eliminate most of the District’s gun-control laws.

The final details of the bill were being worked out Wednesday, but House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) said he expects the legislation to clear the House and to include some version of the pro-gun language that has bogged down the measure since last year.

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), the city’s non-voting House member, and congressional leaders said they are negotiating to weaken the gun amendment language. But Norton said she is unwilling to sacrifice the opportunity to win a long-sought voting seat for the District by insisting on a stand-alone bill.

[Ed. Note: We’ve since learned that Sen. Orin Hatch from Utah may filibuster the Bill anyway if it gets to the Senate because he doesn’t like the way the extra Utah representative will be voted in (state wide vs district wide election).]

But the question still remains – should the District of Columbia sacrifice it’s gun legislation in exchange for getting a vote in Congress?