Major Supreme Court Case Coming on Tuesday

On Tuesday, March 18, the Supreme Court will hear the oral arguments for the D.C. handgun ban case. This ruling could have serious implications for gun restrictions throughout the United States.

Basically, what the case boils down to is whether the Second Amendment and its declaration of the citizenry's right to bear arms applies to all citizens or whether the founding fathers meant for this right to be applied only to militias. Vice President Dick Cheney and many other House Representatives and U.S. Senators, including John McCain and even some Democrats, sent an amicus curiae brief to the Supreme Court asking the Court to uphold the D.C. Appeals Court ruling (this ruling held that the D.C. ban on handguns violates the Second Amendment and thus is unconstitutional).

Another important aspect of the case is whether or not the Constitution can be applied to D.C. According to this Fox News article: "The city’s second argument is that the Second Amendment does not apply to District-specific legislation. It is a curious argument, at least politically, for a government keen on seeking equal representation in Congress."

I also wrote about the D.C. Appeals Court ruling here.