Supreme Court: Ban On Handguns “Incompatible” With Second Amendment
The Supreme Court struck down Washington D.C.’s ban on handguns as unconstitutional. Justice Scalia wrote the majority opinion saying in part that an outright ban on handguns is incompatible with the second amendement.
Writing for the majority, Justice Antonin Scalia said that an individual right to bear arms is supported by “the historical narrative” both before and after the Second Amendment was adopted.
The Constitution does not permit “the absolute prohibition of handguns held and used for self-defense in the home,” Scalia said. The court also struck down Washington’s requirement that firearms be equipped with trigger locks or kept disassembled, but left intact the licensing of guns.
Scalia noted that the handgun is Americans’ preferred weapon of self-defense in part because “it can be pointed at a burglar with one hand while the other hand dials the police.”
This was absolutely the right decision. There are few rights as fundamental to being an American as our right to keep and bear arms.
Unless you are a felon or mentally disabled in some way, the State can no longer prevent the ownership of handguns. Washington D.C. has had the strictest gun laws in the country with an outright ban on handgun ownership. Ironically, Washington D.C. is also home to the worst gun violence in America.
No state official yet has explained how the only place in America with an outright handgun ban has some of the worst handgun violence. The idea that no one will have a gun because it’s against the law is comical.
Criminals will continue to own firearms with or without gun laws, the only question is whether or not law abiding citizens will be able to protect themselves from gun toting criminals.
The Supreme Court has rightly concluded that Americans have a right under the Constitution to do just that.
-Chris Jones
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