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Justices Shoot Down District of Columbia’s 32-year Gun Ban
June 27th, 2008Supreme Court Makes It easier for people to own handguns
The U.S. Supreme Court Thursday shot down the argument from D.C. officials that the city has a right to prevent ownership of handguns to protect residents from violence.
Several weeks before the high court delivered today’s 5-4 decision, ruling that Americans have a right to own guns for self-defense and hunting, District Mayor Adrian Fenty said, “I’m confident in our case, and our continued ability to protect residents 
from gun violence.” But that confidence quickly turned into disappointment. “I’m disappointed in the court’s ruling and believe introducing more handguns into the District will mean more handgun violence,” Fenty said. “But I want to emphasize that at this moment, our gun laws remain in effect. It may be several weeks before there are changes to announce. “In the meantime, I have directed the Metropolitan Police Department to implement an orderly process for allowing qualified citizens to register handguns for lawful possession in their homes,” he said.
By weighing in on the Second Amendment issue for the first time since 1791, the Supreme Court opened a door that has Black and inner-city leaders, anti-violence groups and gun-control advocates worried, at a time when gun violence is rocking major metropolitan areas nationwide. Opponents of more lax gun laws argue that the framers of the U.S. Constitution, in the Second Amendment – which says that “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” – was referring to the military and not to individual citizens. But Justice Antonin Scalia, writing the court’s majority opinion, said that the Constitution does not allow “the absolute prohibition of handguns held and used for self-defense in the home.” But he noted that today’s decision should not “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.” Joining Scalia in the majority decision were the four other conservative members of the court, Clarence Thomas, John Roberts, Samuel Alito and Anthony Kennedy. Dissenting were Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, David Souter and John Paul Stevens, who wrote that the majority “would have us believe that over 200 years ago, the Framers made a choice to limit the tools available to elected officials wishing to regulate civilian uses of weapons.” The District of Columbia established its strict anti-handgun laws about 32 years ago. The case challenging those laws was brought by Dick Anthony Heller, a 66-year-old armed security guard, whose application to keep a handgun in his home for protection was denied. Heller won his case in the U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C.
Perhaps, if everyone took a step back and did a little research, we understand the Constitution, how it was written, why each Article and Amendment was written and most importantly, what each Article, and Amendment actually means. Let me quote what the framers of the Cosntitution had to say about guns. We should consult them because they are the ones who wrote it. They understood what they wrote.
(1) No free man shall ever be de-barred the use of arms. The strongest reason for the people to retain their right to keep and bear arms is a sa last resort to protect themselves against tyranny in ogvernment. ” -Thomas Jefferson
(2)” The said Constitution shal never be construed to authorize Congress to prevent the people of the united States, who are peaceable Citizens from keeping theor own arms.” – Patrick Henry
(3) ” Amercians need never fear their government because of the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation.” – James Madison
And if you take a serious look at this government today, we definitley suffer from tyranny in government. Open your eyes Black folks, open you eyes.
Please excuse my spelling on the last post. I didn’t check it very well. I was rushing. Hopefully, everyone will be able to understand what I’ve written. Peace.
NOW ALL THEM CRACKA SEREAL KILLERS WILL BE GETTIN GUNS
All of you are missing the point. How much lower was the crime rate under the gun ban? IT WAS ACTUALLY HIGHER. And how did the gun ban work in your communities? IT DIDN’T. A gun ban isn’t going to prevent a potential criminal from obtaining a weapon and using it to do bodily harm. All these gun restrictions do is keep the guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens, which results in the police and the criminals being the only ones who own guns. Maybe these idiots will think twice about coming in someone’s house if the potential’s there for them to be shot.
any criminal who comes threw my door to rape/beat/murder or someother harm to me or my children doesnt care about the law in the first place this new ruling now gives me the ability to harm the evil doer to prevent harm to me and my children while i wait for the police to arrive.
If i were a criminal id pick places that didnt have guns to do my crimes so maybe allowing ppl to have guns will make criminals more hessitent to be so bold or they might get a perfectly legal shot in the ass by lil ol granny instead of the over worked uniformed police
Here’s my opinion: Get rid of the “Right to bear arms” law and teach basic self defense in schools (at least middle school). If not, why not at least have bb guns or sandbag shotguns? They don’t kill, which is the point, but we can still have the law still intact.
we love glenn lewis!
Why would DC have more murders if law abiding citizens are able to carry guns? Criminals are just that, they don’t follow the law, so it didn’t make a difference if there was a gun law or not, criminals were not going to obey it in the first place.
People need to be able to defend themselves, and if you have a legal right to have a gun, and you are not some convicted felon, then by all means carry, and protect yourself and your family.
THAT LETTER ON THE MEDIA WAS A PUBLIC ENEMY HIT .. THEY USIN ALL THE LOCATIONS IN THE VIDE… BARACK IS THE HYPE… THEY ACT LIKE THEY LIKE HIM SO WHEN HE GETS ELECTED.. HIS CRY “DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE”… THE DEATH OF HIP HOP WAKE UP
SNAP SNAP
MORE LEGALIZED KILLING!
“This is no surprise this nation was born on bloodshed and killin, to try to change a law that symbols America would be like taking away ApplePie and BaseBall.”-Lynn
Bahaha. TRUE. They say guns are for protecting and hunting but pish. Who NEEDS to hunt in DC or anywhere with a hand-gun? And good or bad guys with guns is just ah endless cycle sense they are one in the same person.
Everybody is talking about the Constitution, lol since when has the Constitution ever been honored? Let’s not forget the Constitution also states that all men are created equal. Yet black men are still fighting for equality.
And on another note, everybody thinks it’s ridiculous to own a gun. At least until it’s your home that’s being invaded,your mother or sister being raped,your child being molested, or your hard earned money being took in a robbery. Only then you will see what it really means to have the right to bear arms! And protect yourself and your family. Criminals are going to get guns regardless, and you have the right as a law abiding citizen to arm yourself against criminals. You are walking the streets with the same idiots that police encounter everyday. They have guns for there protection, and all types of training. Yet criminals still carry weapons that even the police have a hard time trying to combat. So what impact do you think you are going to have against a criminal if you are not armed at all? That’s how criminals take advantage of people. They know that the majority of people are going to abide by the law and not possess a weapon. So they take advantage of that and attack you with a gun because 9 times out of 10 you won’t have one. I refuse to fall victim or be an easy target for some low life jack ass. I’m not trying to make it easy for nobody to take what’s mine or bring harm to my loved ones. And if you can’t stand up for your family or yourself you don’t need to be living anyway.
I think its insulting for the Supreme Court to say that we have the constitutional right as a “free state” to bear arms, but not to have full representation in Congress.
‘It’s time to stop singing and start swinging…” only not at violators of civil rights
but now at the government. Every race of Americans must stand up to the NRA’s, and George Bush’s of the world who seek thier own security but not the security of the masses. One way to start swinging is protesting, picketing or coming togethor on national televised events like the fourth of July and New Year’s day. It’s time for a modern day Boston Tea Party. Stop letting the small amount of people who make up the government beat up the nearly quarter billion other Americans who also live in this country.
TAKE THE GUNS BACK,GIVE EVERYONE A CAN OF MACE 2 PROTECT THEMSELVES, AT LEAST NO 1 DIES IN THE END.
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