Washington DC Handgun Ban Overturned

[shaftbass]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,258042,00.html

Appeals Court Strikes Down Washington, D.C. Handgun Ban

Friday, March 09, 2007

WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court overturned the District of Columbia's long-standing handgun ban Friday, rejecting the city's argument that the Second Amendment right to bear arms applied only to militias.

In a 2-1 decision, the judges held that the activities protected by the Second Amendment "are not limited to militia service, nor is an individual's enjoyment of the right contingent upon his or her continued intermittent enrollment in the militia."

A lower-court judge in 2004 had told six residents they did not have a constitutional right to own handguns. The plaintiffs include residents of high-crime neighborhoods who wanted the guns for protection.

The Bush administration has endorsed individual gun-ownership rights, but the Supreme Court has never settled the issue.

If the dispute makes it to the high court, it would be the first case in nearly 70 years to address the Second Amendment's scope.

[Guest 0down]

You mean "the people" really means the people. That is the most logical, well written opinion I have seen.

Here is the full opinion, well worth a read.

http://pacer.cadc.uscourts.gov/docs/common/opinions/200703/04-7041a.pdf

[Guest GT_Rat]

I love the dissenting opinion. Residents of Washington D. C. are not covered by the Constitution because D.C. is not a state.

[saintsfanbrian]

Thank GOD!!! I am sure that it will be a long time before you can actually go and purchase a gun in D.C. but this is definitely a move in the right direction. And the citizens are not covered because D.C. is not a State? Wow, how arrogant!!!

[Guest jackdog]

Great decision, Pretty sure it will go to the supreme court, and that will really be interesting.

Jackdog

[saintsfanbrian]

I have one question for the judge with the descenting opinion. If the citizens of D.C. aren't covered by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, I guess we don't need warrants to enter their homes and look for evidence of illegal activity. How about we enter all of the legislatures homes and start searching, just to see what we might find that we can put them in jail for.

[Guest Ghostrider]

I have one question for the judge with the descenting opinion. If the citizens of D.C. aren't covered by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, I guess we don't need warrants to enter their homes and look for evidence of illegal activity. How about we enter all of the legislatures homes and start searching, just to see what we might find that we can put them in jail for.

I doubt you'd have to enter their homes to find enough evidence to put 90% of our government in jail for a long time.

What I'm saying is that most are so arrogant, and so "above the law" that they do whatever they like as they like and get any cop who gets in the way fired....