Supreme Court Affirms Second Amendment as an Individual Right

June 26, 2008

“A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”

The Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller is a huge step in the right direction. On the surface, this ruling struck down the DC ban on handguns and self-defense in the home. The court had not conclusively interpreted the Second Amendment since its ratification in 1791. Today it ruled that the Second Amendment assures the right of an individual to keep and bear arms.

Even though the ruling seemingly takes care of the gun ban in DC, as well as the rest of the USA, some things remain unchanged. The court ruling does nothing to touch licensing or registration requirements. This may leave room for an indirect ban, by raising the cost for things such as background checks or imposing absurdly long waiting periods.

Only time will tell how this ruling will affect us. The hard headed antis seem to think rulings like this will make America less safe, when, in fact, the opposite is true. According to the AP, the NRA will file lawsuits in key areas such as Chicago and San Francisco challenging firearm restrictions in those areas.

You can read the Supreme Court Opinion here.

Filed under: Firearm Law/Second Amendment |