"You have a mayor who hates guns," new Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser told a crowd at the St. Augustine Catholic Church last Tuesday. The Washington Interfaith Network was gathered at the church to discuss a number of different issues, including the city's new gun carry law.

"If it was up to me, we wouldn’t have any handguns in the District of Columbia," the Washington Post quoted the mayor as saying. "I swear to protect the Constitution and what the courts say, but I will do it in the most restrictive way as possible."

The mayor's comments came after the D.C. city council finalized changes to its concealed carry law. The city's latest move included several increased restrictions on where permit holders may carry firearms. Among the restrictions is a ban against the legal carry of firearms in places of worship unless the house of worship specifically states otherwise.

The law faces several legal challenges from gun rights activists who say the numerous restrictions placed on permit applicants makes it practically identical to the city's previous ban on gun carry.

"If they’re going to spend time doing anything, they should make the law relevant to people who might want to exercise their Second Amendment rights," Alan Gura, who represents plaintiffs suing over the city's gun carry ban, told the Washington Times of the council's latest revisions to the law.

The city's current law was passed only after a federal judge declared the city's previous ban on the legal carry of firearms unconstitutional.

The mayor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.