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Supreme Court Upholds Second Amendment

By John Snow

Jun 26, 2008

The decision is in. The Supreme Court has ruled that American citizens do have a right to own firearms.

In the majority opinion, Justice Antonin Scalia, said the Constitution does not permit "the absolute prohibition of handguns held and used for self-defense in the home."

The specific issue was the legality of the District of Columbia's ban on handguns and whether it was compatible with the wording of the Second Amendment. The court's 5-4 has struck down that ban.

According to the AP, the ruling won't lead to an unraveling of the nation's existing gun laws:

 

Scalia said nothing in Thursday's ruling should "cast doubt on long-standing prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons or the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings."

This is a great day for all of us.

Read John's Snow blog, The Gun Shots, here

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