Assault on Gun Referendum Loses : Arms control: House committee rejects Rep. Rohrabacher’s bid to overturn assault weapons law approved by District of Columbia voters.

After a long and emotion-charged hearing, a House committee on Thursday rejected a bid by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher to overturn an assault weapons referendum overwhelmingly approved this month by voters in the nation’s capital.

The House Committee on the District of Columbia voted 7 to 4 along party lines against sending to the full House a Rohrabacher bill that would have set aside the D.C. referendum, which was approved in the Nov. 5 election.

The D.C. measure holds the manufacturers of certain assault weapons, wherever they are based, liable for injuries or deaths caused by their products within the boundaries of the District.

Rohrabacher (R-Long Beach), who represents northwestern Orange County, vowed to continue his fight in the Senate. “It’s certainly not over,” the congressman said.

The daylong hearing featured often poignant testimony from Washington civic leaders, including members of the black clergy who spearheaded the referendum drive. They argued that the assault weapons liability law is needed to curb the record number of homicides, many drug-related, that have ravaged the District of Columbia in recent years. More than 435 murders have been reported so far this year.

In addition, they said, district voters were well within their rights under the city’s home rule charter in passing the referendum, and Congress has a moral obligation to respect the people’s wishes.

“We cannot think of anything that would be more in the federal interest than to reduce the killing and the maiming in the nation’s capital,” said the Rev. H. Beecher Hicks Jr., who led the battle to pass the referendum.

On the other side, gun manufacturers and sporting industry representatives said that district officials had overstepped their bounds and that the gun liability law would not have the desired effect.

“Home rule means making the rules for your home, not making the rules for the whole neighborhood,” said Michael Saporito, chairman of the American Shooting Sports Coalition. “If anyone thinks this will stop the flow of weapons, they’re crazy.”

Rohrabacher argued that the liability law is unconstitutional because it would allow the district to impose on gun manufacturers and dealers in other jurisdictions liability for criminal acts over which they have no control.

“Congress cannot let stand a law that imposes penalties on people who do not live here” in Washington, Rohrabacher said.