Court Strikes Down DC Gun Ban
In a major legal opinion based on the Second Amendment, a three-judge panel of U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia declared the DC ban on handguns to be unconstitutional. The decision, which could be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, held the DC law void on the grounds that the U.S. Constitution guarantees individual citizens (not just “militia”) the right to keep and bear arms.
Senior Judge Silverman’s majority opinion declared:
“To summarize, we conclude that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to keep and bear arms. That right existed prior to the formation of the new government under the Constitution and was premised on the private use of arms for activities such as hunting and self-defense, the latter being understood as resistance to either private lawlessness or the depredations of a tyrannical government (or a threat from abroad). In addition, the right to keep and bear arms had the important and salutary civic purpose of helping to preserve the citizen militia….Despite the importance of the Second Amendment’s civic purpose, however, the activities it protects are not limited to militia service, nor is an individual’s enjoyment of the right contingent upon his or her continued or intermittent enrollment in the militia.”
Download and Read Majority Opinion.
Link (with Video): MSNBC Report
I continue to be amazed that the American public cannot figure out this “No-Brainer” issue. God help us if the history revisionists and radical left-wing ever win this battle. With the state of lawlessness that presently exists in large cities, like Washington, DC decent, law-abiding citizens must rethink the issue of self protection. We have a moral obligation to be able to protect our families, property, and lives. Courts have over and over again determined that the law enforcement community have no responsibility (nor ability) to protect citizens.
Read that last sentence again. Law enforcement can not and will not protect you from criminals, except in cases where they just happen to be on the spot. Purchase firearms. Learn safe handling and marksmanship. Get a damned permit if necessary and carry it. Protect your family.