Supreme Court Strikes Down DC Handgun Ban

In his majority opinion Justice Scalia said that the “right of the people to keep and bear arms” as enshrined in the Second Amendment applied not only to the “well regulated militia” mentioned in the amendment, but also to individuals. He added, “It is not the role of this court to pronounce the Second Amendment extinct.”

The dissenting justices strongly disagreed and called the decision “a dramatic upheaval in the law.” Justice Breyer wrote, “the decision threatens to throw into doubt the constitutionality of gun laws throughout the United States.”

President Bush welcomed the ruling, as did Senator John McCain, and Senator Barak Obama. The National Rifle Association applauded the ruling and said it marked “a great moment in American history.” The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence criticized the decision and argued that it would “embolden criminal defendants, and ideological extremists, to file new legal attacks on existing gun laws.”

The ruling has also met with widespread criticism from lawmakers and the mayors of Washington, DC and Chicago. Congressmember Eleanor Holmes Norton represents the District of Columbia. She is speaking out about this decision and joins us now from Washington, DC.

Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Democratic Congresswoman representing the District of Columbia.