(AP) - WASHINGTON-Plagued by high homicide rates, officials in the U.S. capital said Monday they will petition the Supreme Court as they seek to defend Washington's 30-year-old ban on most handguns.

A federal appeals court panel struck down the law in March, rejecting the city's argument that the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which upholds people's right to bear arms, applied only to militias. The full appeals court refused to reconsider the decision in May. The law has remained in effect during the appeals process.

"We have made the determination that this law can and should be defended," Mayor Adrian M. Fenty said in a statement Monday.

"The handgun ban in the District of Columbia has saved many lives since then and will continue to do so if it remains enforced," he added.

Police Chief Cathy Lanier said 75 of Washington's 97 homicides this year were committed with firearms.

Washington's gun law dates back to 1976, and bars residents from keeping handguns in their homes and carrying a gun without a license. Registered firearms must be kept unloaded and disassembled. The city's sweeping gun ban is matched only by Chicago among large U.S. cities.

If the high court takes up the case, it would mark the first time in 70 years that justices will consider the breadth of the Second Amendment. In 2003, the court chose not to take a case that challenged California's ban on assault weapons.

D.C. officials say the law is necessary in a city that has been plagued by high homicide rates.

However, it was challenged by six Washington, D.C., residents who said they wanted to keep guns in their homes to protect themselves against crime. Opponents of the law also include the National Rifle Association.