DC Gun Fight A coalition of political, labor and religious operatives in Washington, D.C. is threatening U.S. Senators who are working to restore full civil rights for residents of the District of Columbia with legislation to permit firearms ownership again in the district. The Washington Post reports (registration required) Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX) and Senator George Allen (R-VA) are leading the move to repeal 29 years of repressive gun laws in D.C., and Joslyn Williams, president of the AFL-CIO's Washington Metropolitan Council, is threatening to send union workers to their home states to campaign against the Senators. Hutchison spokesman Chris Paulitz said personal protection, not politics is his boss's motivation, "Senator Hutchison spends a lot of time in Washington, D.C., when we are in session. She wants to be able to protect herself. She wants women to able to protect themselves. She wants people in crime-ridden areas to not have to rely on other people to protect themselves." Allen's spokesman, David Snepp, told The Post Washington's violent crime rate illustrates how gun control laws fail "not only the residents of D.C. but those from neighboring Virginia who visit and work in the District. The goal should be to crack down on criminals, not law-abiding citizens."