Second Amendment Upheld

The Supreme Court this morning ruled in another 5-4 decision against the DC handgun ban, ruling that the Second Amendment, the right to bear arms, is an individual and not a collective right. I agree with the justices that it is not an unlimited right, but the DC gun ban banned all handguns within resident's homes as well as requiring any other firearm, even within one's home, to be either disassembled or disarmed with a locked trigger guard.

Surprisingly, this was the first time in nearly three decades that the Supreme Court had ruled on the Second Amendment. The DC gun ban, like the one in Chicago, was created due to the city's high level of criminal activity. The justices ruled, though, that the constitutional right to bear arms trumps their ability to create public policy.

In my mind, and in the minds of the Founders, the right to bear arms was not only fundamental to self-defense, but also fundamental to avoiding tyranny. If we live in a nation where the police or the military are the only ones with weapons, citizens are unable to defend themselves in a time of crisis or abuse of power. I'm okay with background checks and restricting mentally ill persons from purchasing weapons, though. But I'm glad the Court upheld the individual's right to bear arms.