Heller Decision AFFIRMED, INDIVIDUAL right (Scalia)

[Musketeer]

I am relieved it is affirmed and obviously my concerns about bringing this were justified.

5 - 4 too close

Does anybody want to wager what O'Connor would have decided? That is how close this was. Now look 4 - 8 years forward and consider which of the two candidates likely to win you are more worried about filling any openings...

[obxned]

That the Second Amendment is an individual right is a big victory. Time to celebrate. Tommorow we go back into battle with the anti-s. We Have won a big battle, but not the war.

[mikejonestkd]

SS,

Agreed!!! its time to really get to work on the issue. This is just the beginning of a longer quest in America.

Its time for all firearm owners to get active in their communities and make sure that their voices are heard - either through local organizations or national ones.

[bikerbill]

LaPierre just said NRA filing suit in Chicago, Chicago suburbs and elsewhere where laws ban firearms for self-defense ... this is a wonderful day, I can't get over how good it feels to read the decision ...

[WhyteP38]

Our enemies are already releasing their new strategies, and begging for donations from their alleged majority.

I strongly encourage everyone to go read the Brady Campaign's response to this decision here.

They know they lost, and they know that our side is about to unleash hell, so make their nightmare come true and start donating to the organizations that will bring our case to the courts.

We just gained a lot of ground and we need to push the initiative to gain more, and not stop to rest on our laurels.

Truer words were never spoken. Like Patton reportedly said, "I'm not interested in hold our position. I'm interested in holding onto the enemy and kicking the hell out of him."

We have the high ground and the momentum. The time to act is now. Even $10 donated toward the cause will go a long way.

[applesanity]

Stevens is a complete idiot.

No he's not. He's a freaking Supreme Court Justice. What do you think, that he scribbled crayons all over his LSATs and submitted macaroni and glue craftwork to his Bar examination?

Irks me to see people dismissing officials in power as "idiots" when such officials do something disagreeable.

Stevens is being an activist. He's trying to use his position to to legislate. Then there's Breyer, who Scalia pointed out is acting for the supposed "interests" of DC, just like how Kennedy acted in the "trends" for the child rape case. These justices have motivations, they have personal convictions. They are certainly not constructionists. One could say that they are not fulfilling their job descriptions.

But they're not idiots.

[WhyteP38]

But they're not idiots.

In my book, he is an idiot. A complete idiot. Or as the other expression goes, "an educated fool." Being a Supreme Court Justice does not make one a genius, nor does it shield one from being a complete idiot.

If you don't want to consider him a complete idiot, fine. But there are still things called freedom of speech and freedom of thought in this country, and I don't need your permission to hold and state my opinions.

Activist or not, the logic of his dissent is illogical. Blatantly so. After all the education and experience he has accumulated, to make such illogical statements is, in my book, the mark of a complete idiot.

[Bosshoff]

Ye Haw, I wouldn't want to be a criminal in my own home.

[Jeremy]

Thank god. This is good news indeed.

[applesanity]

I didn't catch any bit about legislating ammo in the majority opionion.

We'll still have to deal with micro-stamping and such. Smart bullets (as opposed to dumb?), etc.

There's also the open door Scalia left for gun registration. On the other hand, Scalia did accomodate the possibility of striking down all the NFA regulations.

It's not over. It's far from over. But least we can all let the blood pressure fall back down to normal levels. Maybe even celebrate.

[bikerbill]

So the mayor says they'll start implementing a system for gun owners to keep handguns in the home ... he says EVERY handgun will have to be registered with the police, he also said something about semi-automatic firearms still being banned, tho he might have been refering to long guns ... I think the ruling, while a landmark for sure, is still going to be fought tooth and nail by every anti out there, including the slugs who run DC ...

[UniversalFrost]

Thank God!

I was almost jumping for joy when I saw the news this morning!

This will hopefully help pave the way for repealing the similiar gun bans in the various states and cities.

JOE

[PT111]

This decision actually went a little further than I thought hey would but left some troubling points. They said you can have a handgun in your home and keep it loaded and ready. However they left the door open for registration and licensing. At least they struck down arbritrary licensing so unless you are a felon you should be able to get a license. Look for the cost of a license to go to $1,000 in DC and other places.

They left intact the bans on felons and others such as drug addicts or metally deranged. Personally I am pleased with this.

They did not really decide the AWB, 10 round capacity or similar so I expect more to follow. Better hurry up before Obama get to make his picks. You really need to think about your protesting the Republicans right now.

They limited their discussion to inside the home but it can probably be expanded. For one thing the may issue states should look at their CCW permit policies. It could also lead to universal reciprocity. I know this may be a stretch but someone will make that stretch shortly.

All together there is going to be a lot opf discussion and rulings on what this means. It will also probably lead to some more lawsuits, already the NRA is filing on behalf of San Fran and Chi town. I doubt that those two will make it to the SCOTUS but some will.

[TimRB]

Let us now hope that the rate of violent crime in DC goes down (as I expect it will). This will provide more irrefutable evidence that prohibitive gun laws don't work.

Tim

[p99guy]

On the NFA thing, It would be nice if BATFE had to open up the registry again
So new ones could be made, and classified as transferable. Which would make them kinda affordable again, instead of having to buy something that was made in 1986 or before with skyrocketing prices to go with them( $18,000.00 for an M16, $5,000.00 for a STEN ) I remember when you could get a STEN for $450.00 + $200.00 for the tax stamp in 1984

[Running Gunfight]

I anticipate this from what I heard:

1. DC will harshly legislate types of handguns allowed. No semi-autos, caliber restrictions. "Oh yes, you may own a handgun as long as it is on this list of .22 caliber revolvers."

2. It is still illegal to have a handgun outside of the home. How do you get it home from the store? Can you ever take it to practice with?

3. Restrictions and the process for getting a license will be so complex and harsh as to continue the ban de facto.

So, good for the nation as it is affirmed as an individual right and a legitimate purpose is for SD, but not so good for the citizens of DC and other cities like it.

[Stiofan]

BHO has just released his statement, it reads pretty much along the Brady Center's line where restricting is proper, but he'll uphold the law if elected "to allow sportsmen and hunters to posess guns".

I didn't notice where the decision mentioned only sportsmen and hunters.....

[SkySlash]

Logical conclusion seems to me to be to challenge any new licensing scheme as a violation of the 4th Amendment right to privacy. I don't think it is tenable, but it'd be worth a shot from a property privacy rights perspective.

-SS

[WhyteP38]

BHO has just released his statement, it reads pretty much along the Brady Center's line where restricting is proper, but he'll uphold the law if elected "to allow sportsmen and hunters to posess guns".

I didn't notice where the decision mentioned only sportsmen and hunters.....

I didn't notice where the 2nd Amendment mentioned only sportsmen and hunters, either.

[FrontSight]

BHO has just released his statement, it reads pretty much along the Brady Center's line where restricting is proper, but he'll uphold the law if elected "to allow sportsmen and hunters to posess guns".

That's the problem with these morons, they simply can't understand, even when the Supreme Court explains it to them, that the 2nd Amendment is NOT about hunting or being a sportsman!

[Mark P.]

Glad to see the ruling, but there is a long way to go for gun rights. D.C. can still find ways to keep people from getting handguns as mentioned above. I am fortunate enough to be able to carry my weapon anywhere I want, including D.C. but many are not and many people fall victim to violent crime in cities like D.C. because they cannot defend themselves. We need to keep fighting as this does nothing to help people attacked outside of their homes which is just as important.

[jakeswensonmt]

Just saw Obama on MSNBC blathering about the Heller decision. He looked (dare I say it?) pale, confused, a little stunned. He attempted a little weaselly flip-floppy damage-control, prattled a little about his support for "hunters and sportsmen" to bear arms, while he cast about the far reaches of the stage with a bewildered look in his eyes.

[Al Norris]

Running Gunfight: While I haven't had time to digest all the implications of the decision, I would say that licensing requirements that are arbitrary and/or capricious will not survive.

Nor will requirements that amount to a de facto ban (high pricing/too restrictive) survive.

Given the many makes, models and caliber of self-defense firearms, restricting them to a small segment (arbitrary selection) will not survive.

[Running Gunfight]

Running Gunfight: While I haven't had time to digest all the implications of the decision, I would say that licensing requirements that are arbitrary and/or capricious will not survive.

Nor will requirements that amount to a de facto ban (high pricing/too restrictive) survive.

Given the many makes, models and caliber of self-defense firearms, restricting them to a small segment (arbitrary selection) will not survive.

My gut tells me that DC will pass the laws. Then, it will be up to brave souls in DC to (possibly) be arrested and fight it out in court. I might just be upping my NRA contribution this year.

[applesanity]

Washington post put out a poll on the ruling. It's our obligation as gun owners to skew those results so bad (so good?) that Mayor Adrian Fenty will blush.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/dc/20...l?hpid=topnews

Also, I checked the DailyKos to see how they'd react. I was slightly surprised:

I encourage you to read this fully before rendering your opinions, because, well, it's a Constitution we're expounding here, and this comes up in other contexts as well. Sometimes in life (and in law), there are things that we might desire from a policy standpoint -- like certain forms of gun control, or restrictions on some election-related speech -- which are nevertheless forbidden by the Constitution. And as liberals -- unlike the other guys -- we ought not try to pretend that the Constitution doesn't exist when it gets in the way of our policy preferences.