Opposition to DC Hand Gun Ban Moves Forward

Opposition to DC Hand Gun Ban Moves Forward
by Kami Dalton
Posted: 02/15/2008


Fifty-five senators and 250 representatives joined Vice President Dick Cheney in filing an amicus curiae brief with the Supreme Court on Friday supporting the overturning of the District of Columbia’s ban on handguns. That’s a majority of both houses stating that the DC gun ban violates the Second Amendment.

The brief -- filed on behalf of a bipartisan group headed by Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Tex) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) -- states that gun possession is an individual right and cites law after law, precedent after precedent, in support of that interpretation.

The National Rifle Association also filed an amicus brief with the court, also arguing that the Second Amendment guarantees individuals the right to bear arms. The NRA lauded the Congressmen who supported the brief and cheers the “great news for gun owners” on their website.

Very little attention has been paid the filing of the brief in the mainstream media except to point out Dick Cheney broke with his own administration’s stance. The Solicitor General did file a brief in support of the DC gun ban weeks ago. This is a clear break between the Vice President and the SG’s office, and possibly with the president as well.