SCOTUS Supports The Right To Bear Arms

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court says Americans have a right
to own guns for self-defense and hunting, the justices' first major
pronouncement on gun rights in U.S. history.

The court's 5-4 ruling strikes down the District of Columbia's
32-year-old ban on handguns as incompatible with gun rights under
the Second Amendment. The decision goes further than even the Bush
administration wanted, but probably leaves most firearms laws
intact.

The court had not conclusively interpreted the Second Amendment
since its ratification in 1791. The amendment reads: "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 basic issue for the justices was whether the amendment
protects an individual's right to own guns no matter what, or
whether that right is somehow tied to service in a state militia.

“It’s nice to see the Court affirm a right that’s actually in the Constitution,” said Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions. “In doing so, the Court issued a strong holding that the Second Amendment protects the right of Americans to possess firearms for lawful purposes like recreation, hunting, and self-defense. The Second Amendment is a guarantee from the Founding Fathers to future Americans, and, as the Court noted, it is not subject to alteration on the basis of what a lifetime-appointed federal judge thinks is good policy. 217 years after the Amendment was ratified, the Court has finally made it clear that the right for individuals to bear arms, a bedrock principle on which our nation was founded, shall not be infringed by the central government.”

“The right to keep and bear arms belongs to every law-abiding American and I applaud this landmark decision,” said Alabama Senator Ricahrd Shelby. “I have always been a firm believer in an individual’s right to own firearms and today’s ruling is a great victory for the American people and the Second Amendment.”

“Today’s decision reaffirms what our citizens have always known – that the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to keep and bear arms, and that any law that restricts that right must not stand," said Attorney General Troy King. "The Second Amendment is a necessary freedom that the Founding Fathers wisely bestowed upon us. They knew that the right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms was essential to maintaining peace and order. Today’s decision is just common sense.”

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)