The judge who struck down a ban on carrying handguns in public in Washington put his decision on hold for 90 days Tuesday, giving local officials time to come up with new legislation.
Judge Frederick Scullin had ruled Saturday that the District of Columbia's prohibition on carrying handguns outside the home -- the only ban of its kind in the nation -- was unconstitutional.
Heeding a request from city hall, the US District Court judge granted a reprieve until October 22 to enable city council to revise its gun laws to conform with his ruling.
The District of Columbia, as the US capital city is formally known, enacted strict gun laws in 1975 to combat a soaring homicide rate.
In 1998, the US Supreme Court struck down its prohibition on gun ownership, citing the Second Amendment of the Constitution that guarantees Americans' right "to keep and bear arms."
Scullin's weekend ruling cited the same amendment -- although police cautioned that local gun owners must still register their handguns before taking them out in public.
Currently, 44 of the 50 US states allow citizens to openly carry handguns.
