Rep. Peter King To Introduce Bill Banning Guns Within 1000 Feet Of Lawmakers

Rep. Peter King (R-NY) plans to introduce a House bill that would ban the carrying of firearms within 1000 feet of members of Congress and other high-ranking federal officials.

King is the first Republican to announce any kind of gun control legislation in the wake of the shooting. He joins fellow New York Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, a Democrat, who is seeking to restrict sales of high-capacity ammunition clips like the one Loughner allegedly used in his attack. Under federal law, it’s illegal to bring a gun within 1,000 feet of a school. King wants to apply that same standard to federal offices, including the president, vice president, members of Congress and federal judges. King joined New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and several local officials Tuesday morning to call for “common-sense” solutions to “keep guns out of the hand of criminals, the mentally ill and other dangerous persons.”

Wags on Twitter are already claiming that King's bill would effectively reinstate DC's ban on handguns, which was overturned in 2008.