Washington, D.C. ? The plaintiff in the Supreme Court case that overturned Washington’s 32-year-old handgun ban was the first to arrive Thursday as the city began registering firearms.

But security guard Dick Heller was turned away from police headquarters because he didn’t bring his weapon as required.

“I’ve been rejected again,” Heller said, complaining that the city was still making it difficult for him to exercise his constitutional right to bear arms. He had sued the city after his application for a handgun license was rejected in 2003.

The Supreme Court on June 26 struck down one of the strictest gun laws in the nation, ruling that the Second Amendment guarantees the right to have guns for self-defense. Since then, city officials have moved quickly to abide by the decision. Under emergency legislation passed this week by the D.C. Council, residents may keep handguns only for self defense – at home unloaded and disassembled, or equipped with trigger locks.

A weapon can be readied for use only if there’s the “reasonably perceived threat of immediate harm.” The law also bans weapons broadly defined as machine guns that can fire 12 rounds or more, which rules out most semiautomatic handguns.