Supreme Court Uphold Private Ownership Of Guns: Self Defense Gets Big Nod Too!

PUA Staff - June 28, 2008

America narrowly avoided what could have been a melt-down in the social fabric of the country when, by a 5 to 4 decision, the US Supreme Court ruled that the "private ownership" of guns in America was a Second Amendment Right and not a right specifically carried by states or militia.

"This was a great day for all Americans," said Xelan Bonn. "While vehicle accidents kill many times more people than gun accidents or shootings, millions of people, mostly women, owe their lives to having a gun for self-defense," he said.

Some analyst were predicting wide-scale rioting and mayhem had the decision fallen the other way, given that over 114 million Americans own at least one gun and see it as a Constitutional Right, not privilege, according to Gallop polling.

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US Supreme Court Says Washington DC Gun Ban Unconstitutional

By VOA News - 26 June 2008

The U.S. Supreme Court has struck down Washington D.C.'s ban on handguns, saying individuals have the right to own guns.

In a 5-to-4 landmark decision Thursday, the high court struck down the 32-year-old ban, saying it violates the second amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The court also struck down the city's requirement that legally-owned firearms be equipped with trigger locks or kept disassembled in the home, saying that makes it impossible for citizens to use arms for the lawful purpose of self-defense.

The court noted that long-standing gun restrictions remain in place - such as prohibitions on felons and the mentally ill from possessing guns and restrictions on carrying firearms in schools and government buildings.

The second amendment says that because "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 court ruled today that this does not limit gun ownership to service in a militia.

The decision could have a wide impact on restrictions on gun ownership in the United States.

The White House says U.S. President George Bush strongly agrees with the decision and is pleased that the court concluded that Washington D.C.'s firearm laws violate the individual right of Americans to keep and bear arms.

Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty said he wished the court had ruled to uphold the ban, but added that the city will respect the decision.

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain hailed the court's decision, saying it recognizes that gun ownership is a fundamental right that is "sacred, just as the right to free speech and assembly."

Washington city officials have said the ban has led to a decrease in violent crime, while opponents of the ban said the case was about a citizen's right to self-defense.

The court has not ruled on the "right to keep and bear arms" since 1939.

In rulings announced Wednesday The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the death penalty in child rape cases, saying executions should be reserved for acts of murder.

In a major capital punishment decision, the court said executing people convicted of raping a child violates the U.S. Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment.