Supreme Court Decision

[Navy]

Answering a 127-year old constitutional question, the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to have a gun, at least in oneâ??s home. The Court, splitting 5-4, struck down a District of Columbia ban on handgun possession. Although times have changed since 1791, Justice Antonin Scalia said for the majority, â??it is not the role of this Court to pronounce the Second Amendment extinct.â?�

Examining the words of the Amendment, the Court concluded â??we find they guarantee the individual right to possess and carry weaons in case of confrontationâ?� â?? in other words, for self-defense. â??This meaning,â?� it added, â??is strongly confirmed by the historical background of the Second Amendment,â?� going back to 17th Century England.

What Congress did in drafting the Amendment, the Court said, was â??to codify a pre-existing right, rather than to fashion a new one.â?�

We won the big one!

Tom A