D.C. officials have asked a judge to let the city enforce a central element of its restrictive concealed-carry law — the requirement that handgun owners demonstrate a “good reason” for a permit to carry — while a lawsuit over the matter works its way through the federal court system.

Last week, U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Scullin Jr. granted a preliminary injunction that blocks the District from enforcing that part of the law, requiring people to prove a specific “good reason” in order to receive a concealed-carry permit.

In a motion filed late Tuesday, the District’s Attorney General asked the judge to stay the ruling while the city pursues an appeal.

“Granting an administrative stay would minimize unnecessary disruption and confusion,” wrote D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine, noting that if a later ruling were to overturn the injunction, any concealed-carry permits issued during that time might have to be withdrawn.

D.C. lawmakers drafted the concealed-carry laws last year to comply with a different ruling by Judge Scullin that overturned the District’s long-standing ban on the carrying of firearms in public.

The legislation created a process by which D.C. residents and nonresidents could apply for concealed-carry permits by showing proof that they needed to carry a weapon for self-defense.

D.C. Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier was given the authority to decide who met the criteria.

Gun-rights proponents have been critical of the “good reason” requirement in the concealed-carry regulations, arguing that it unfairly limits Second Amendment rights.

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