Supreme Court: Americans Have the Right to Own Guns

In a 5-4 decision announced today, the Supreme Court ruled in the case of Heller v. District of Columbia that Americans have the individual right to own guns. This is the most important ruling on the Second Amendment since at least 1939. In the words of the majority decision, “The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.” This settles the debate over whether the Second Amendment applies to all citizens of the United States, or whether it gives only those involved in a government-operated militia such as the National Guard the right to keep and bear arms. Thankfully, the judges have decided that the Constitution means what it says, and therefore have ruled that rights belong to the people, not to the government.